


Hell is a Place on the Surface

by Lavender_chan



Series: Slavetale [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Abuse, F/F, F/M, Language, M/M, Sexual Abuse, SlaveTale, Slow Burn, Verbal Abuse, Violence, dark themes, slowest of burns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-06-07 00:25:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 50
Words: 121,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6776788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lavender_chan/pseuds/Lavender_chan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>*On the surface, monsters end up in the worst possible place.</p><p>*After teaching humans about magic in good faith, humans enslave monsters using Monster Collars to control them. Used and battered in horrible ways, all monsters are resigned to their fate. READER is Frisk’s aunt and only living relative and is soon returned to you.</p><p>*You make it your mission to find all of Frisk’s friends and ‘own’ them so they can have a happy life again. READERxSANS</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. As of a Year Ago

**Author's Note:**

> Heyya~
> 
> So, I'm going to be trying to update both this and my other Undertale fic [One Last Time](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6752329), so I hope you enjoy one or both!

Two and a half years ago, the entire world was changed by the appearance of monsters from below Mt Ebott. Every family and person was glued to their televisions as government officials advised calm and order. The monsters were cordoned off and kept on the mountain as peace treaties were talked over and rewritten dozens of times. For a while, everything was at a standstill and the world seemed to hold it's breath, waiting for something--anything--to happen.

Finally, something changed and it changed for the worst for Monsters.

In the matter of what seemed like a few days, Monsters were captured and enslaved with the use of “Monster Collars”; a combination of science and magic that subdued and controlled the Monsters with lethal accuracy. From what anyone could tell, the act had happened quick and with little resistance from the Monsters.

One year after the monsters were enslaved--a year ago, give or take a month--You were contacts by Child Protection Services.

After confirming your name, they said, “We found your niece, Frisk.”

You winced, frowning at their flippant use of that title, “Where were they??”

“First, can you fill in some blanks for us?”

“What did you need to know?”

“We cannot get a hold of Frisk’s parents; and you are listed as last known guardian…”

“They were in a car accident,” You said quietly, “Frisk ran away the day after their funerals and I've been looking ever since.”

“Yeah, we've seen the police report…” The voice over the phone hesitated before he said, “I would like to bring Frisk for a visit and so we could discuss some things in person, if that's ok.”

“No, no, that's fine,” You said, confirming your address before setting up a date and time to meet.

You sighed after you hung up the phone, rubbing your face. It was a relief to know your sister’s child was safe and sound, but to think that your wait for news was finally over and that you would hopefully be getting custody of them brought tears to your eyes.

“Oh, Frisk,” you breathed, trying to stop your tears, “Where have you been?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kept kind of vague on purpose, mostly for set up purposes.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated!


	2. The Truth Can Be Stranger Than Fiction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my two reviewers~ Its always nice to have kind words after you spend hours writing and all that sauce :3
> 
> Please enjoy this update!

The anticipated knock on the door was greeted quickly with you throwing the door open. The sight of Frisk--a little older, a lot sadder--made you start to cry again.

“Frisk! Oh, thank god you're ok!”

The sad look on the child's face lifted a little and they rushed forward to wrap their arms around your middle. You held them tightly, rubbing their hair gently. Frisk’s body shook a little and you swallowed hard when you realized that they were crying.

“Hi,” the man at the door brought your attention to him. He was shorter than you, round in the stomach and balding, but he had a kind face, with laugh lines gently cut into the sides of his mouth, “I'm Thomas Whittier; we spoke on the phone?”

“Yes--it's nice to meet you face to face at last,” You reached out to shake his hand, realizing Frisk wasn't going to let you go.

“Likewise,” He shook your hand firmly and thanked you when you invited him inside, “This is a lovely home.”

“It belonged to my sister and her husband,” You said slowly, reaching down to pick Frisk up so you could shut the door and lead your guest deeper into the house, “I was left it in their Will, and I'm technically a steward of their money until Frisk comes of age.”

Frisk’s legs dangled almost to your mid-thigh and their arms circled you easily. They were only 9--no, they'd be 10 now--but they were almost too big for you to carry as you settled on a couch and offered one of your recliners to Thomas.

“Well, that does put my mind at ease a little,” Thomas admitted as he settled into the recliner, “I was a little worried I'd be bringing Frisk for a visit just to tell you that you might not get custody of her.”

“Them,” you corrected gently.

Thomas looked confused.

“Frisk has never considered themselves as a girl or a boy and gets uncomfortable when people try to use other kinds of pronouns,” You explained it, watching his face as you felt Frisk hold you tighter as you held them against your chest.

“Oh, I...uh…” Thomas paused, glancing down at the child in your lap.

“I know it doesn’t make much sense,” You conceded, “I’ll admit I didn’t understand it when my sister first informed me about Frisk’s preference, but I love Frisk and it was worth it to me to research it and understand it as best I could...I still made mistakes, and it took a long time to get used to, and I’m still very ignorant, but it makes Frisk happy.”

Your hand ran through Frisk’s hair and you rubbed small circles on their back as they finally settled.

“Well,” Thomas looked a little uncomfortable, “She--I mean, they?--Never really mentioned it to me…”

 

He sounded flustered and you waved him down, “No, I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad, Mr. Whittier, I’m sorry--I just can’t help but speak out for Frisk.”

He cleared his throat before glancing down at Frisk, “Well, I won’t say I understand it, but getting back to the task at hand…?”

You nodded, smiling sheepishly, “Sorry, go ahead.”

“Well, we understand that Frisk was in your custody pending approval before her--er, their--disappearance,” He pulled his briefcase onto his lap and started fiddling with the clasps, “Apparently, after running away, sh--they--were the one to help the Monsters break that barrier, or whatever, that allowed them to leave Mt. Ebott.”

Your eyes widened and you glanced down at Frisk, but Thomas continued, “They were in the care of a Monster named--” He looked at a piece of paper in his hand, “Toriel, who was previously Queen of the Monsters and Frisk was retrieved from her-”

“What happened to her?” You interrupted.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“What happened to this, Toriel?” You felt Frisk start to shake again.

“Well, you know that Monsters were, um...subjugated-”

“Put into slavery.”

“Uh, right--so, honestly,” He looked a little nervous, “I don’t really know.”

You started to chew on your bottom lip and Thomas took it as a sign to continue.

“There are a few criteria that I have to check before I can begin the process to allow Frisk back into your custody…” He sounded a little unsure, but you nodded, “Most of it has to do with income and your ability to care for Frisk.”

“Well,” You shrugged, “I’m a writer, so I receive royalties every other week; I mentioned before that I’m also the steward of Frisk’s inheritance, which has been used to keep the house repaired and such...I paid the mortgage off a while ago with my royalties, so the money has been sitting in the bank, honestly.”

You glanced down at Frisk before continuing, “I mostly work from home, because of my being an author, so Frisk wouldn’t be left unsupervised.”

Thomas nodded.

“Will you be intending to adopt Frisk?”

You froze and looked down at Frisk; they didn’t move or look up at you, so you slowly said, “That’s something I’d have to talk to Frisk about, Mr. Whittier.”

“I understand,” Thomas went through a few more papers before closing his briefcase, “Well, that’s all the information that is important, although I would like to give you and Frisk more of an opportunity to visit today…”

You took it from there, “Have the both of you eaten yet?” At the shake of his head, you stood, still holding Frisk, “In that case, let me cook lunch.”

“Oh, you don’t have to go to all that-”

“I insist,” you said without letting him stop you from leading him into your kitchen.

“Frisk, I need to cook, can I put you down?”

Frisk held a little tighter before nodding against your chest. Your heart broke for the child, and so you placed him at the breakfast bar, which was closer than the small table that Thomas sat at.

“That’s kind of you,” Thomas was saying, “Most of the people I visit either usher me out the door after paperwork or insist on going to restaurants and that is sadly not in my budget.”

He chuckled good-naturedly as you started to bustle through the kitchen.

“I cook for myself most days,” You said, “I may not be hard for money, but I’ve never felt the need to go out when I’m perfectly capable of cooking myself.”

You kept your hands busy while you and Thomas talked. He told you a little about himself--he was definitely a professional, but couldn’t seem to help himself when talking about his own children--and listened as you told him what little there was to know about you. Frisk sat and watched quietly, though you kept an eye on them.

Finally, Frisk brought their hand up.

You paused and turned to watch them.

You’re making spaghetti.

You nodded, “Yes; I thought it would be a nice--Frisk, why are you crying?”

Their sudden tears caught you off guard and you hurried over to cup their face, your thumbs running slowly down the trails of tears.

Frisk’s hands shook as they signed, almost hard enough that you couldn’t read what they signed.

Papyrus likes spaghetti and I don’t know where he is, or Sans, or Mom.

You blinked when you saw the last sign, but shook your head a little before you hugged the child, “Papyrus and Sans? Were they friends?”

They’re monsters, and they were funny. They helped me.

You frowned, already guessing what had happened. You felt a well of anger pool in your stomach, but you took a steadying breath.

“I know you miss them, sweetie,” You said slowly, “I know that it hurts to be separated; while you were gone, I felt the same way.”

You couldn’t offer any condolences or promise that their friends would be ok; it would most likely be a lie.

I miss them. I want mom, I miss mom!

“I know, honey,” You pulled Frisk into a hug.

It would still be a while before you understood that the ‘mom’ he was talking about wasn’t your sister. It would still be another year for the paperwork and the courts to allow you custody of Frisk; and it would be a while before you would understand how different your life was going to get and it was all thanks to today.

Lunch ended without much more ado after, and Thomas promised to bring Frisk for weekly visits until the paperwork and custody was approved. You knew it wouldn’t be that easy, but you thanked him anyway and hugged Frisk as hard as you could.

You watched the small four-door sedan drive out of your driveway and you sighed, leaning against the doorjamb.

All of this happened a year ago and a hard year it was. You managed to publish another book, which meant more royalties and less of a grind for a while; the news reported that Asgore, the previous king of the Monsters, had escaped his restraints and had freed a group of Monsters who were now working as Freedom Fighters with sympathetic humans.

Laws were passed, stating anyone helping the Monsters would be fined or jailed; you tried to stay inside your house more just to avoid it all.

A year ago, things seemed simple: Frisk was found and you were promised to get custody with Thomas’s help.

A year ago, you’d began preparing for Frisk to move in and waited...and waited...and waited until you realized how particular the courts were about who was going to get custody of Frisk. They had searched your house so many times, they had given you so many background checks that your head spun. Every interaction was monitored, even question you asked measured.

Then it hit you.

They wanted to make sure you weren’t a Monster sympathiser. That fact disgusted you and almost made you sign up at the nearest Freedom Fighter meeting--not that you knew how to get to it or any of that--just out of rebellion and spite, but the thought of Frisk…

You behaved yourself as best you could.

You’re year of waiting is up and Frisk is moving in within days.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still technically in the set up part of the story, but now that this background information is out, we can get into the meaty bits of the story!
> 
> Comments are always welcome.


	3. As Of Today

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the views and kudos!
> 
> I'm hoping to set up a tumblr for this story, though I suck at setting them up :D
> 
> Hopefully in the next chapter or two, you guys will have a link from me!
> 
> EDIT: So! I feel like a loser :D I totally posted the fourth chapter instead of the third chapter~!
> 
> Remember kiddies, late night writing is bad for your mental health~<3 Fixed it so this is the REAL third chapter and I'll repost the forth tomorrow, after I've gotten some sleep.

You opened the door and hugged Frisk tightly, nearly squealing as you saw a few boxes of theirs being unloaded from Thomas’s car.

“Frisk!” You saw them just two weeks ago, but you still held them as if it was still the first day they had been brought back to you over a year ago, “Come on, I’ll show you to your room, sweetie.”

Frisk at least seemed happier than in the past few months.

They picked up a backpack and you grabbed a box from Thomas. Thomas chuckled, sweating a little in the summer heat as he continued to unload. There were only 4 or so boxes, but you saw that there was another suitcase and a box full of what looked like legal documents.

You left the front door open for the portly man as you lead Frisk into the house.

The house itself was the same one from Frisk’s childhood--they’d been gone for almost 3 years, but to you it felt like they left a small child and came back...older; and not just physically--and you had decided on them moving back into their old room, which you hadn’t touched since their disappearance.

There were three stories to the house, plus a ‘hidden’ basement. The basement could only be accessed by a hidden door in the small library that was in the back of the house and while it seemed obvious to you that there would be a basement--bystanders would be able to see the short basement windows from the street, after all--it always seemed to surprise people if you mentioned the basement. The ground floor was mostly for company; a sitting room, kitchen, dining room, the library and living room were arranged comfortably. The front door opened to the main hallway that lead all the way to the back sliding door.

The staircase was in this hallway and you could look up the steps from the front door and it was up these stairs that you lead Frisk.

Five bedrooms were on this floor and the one on the right toward the right of the house was Frisk’s. It still held their childhood mementos and such, and even they couldn’t stop their own excitement as they hurried in and started looking through all their old stuff.

You smiled as you watched them before gently reminding them, “We have to help Mr. Whittier with the rest of your stuff, Frisk; you can have the rest of the day to go through it all if you want.”

Frisk nodded quickly and followed you downstairs with a new skip to their step.

“Thank you for all your help, Mr. Whittier,” You said an hour later, when all of Frisk’s stuff was up in their room, “For everything, not only for today.”

“Well, don’t thank me yet,” He looked a little uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong?” You watched him, feeling your stomach start to twist uncomfortably.

“My boss wanted to make sure you understood,” He glanced around to make sure Frisk wasn’t around before he lowered his voice and continued, “Any sign that you’re a sympathiser, and you lose custody; a lot of Monsters seem interested in Frisk and it seems….unnatural.”

You had to press your lips together, but nodded, “I understand, Mr. Whittier; believe me, I don’t want to do anything to risk losing Frisk again…”

Thomas nodded, “Don’t worry, I don’t want you to lose Frisk either.”

You smiled at him, “Really, thank you.”

“I’ll keep in touch; your first 6 months with custody, I’m supposed to come and check in every month, so I’ll keep your number close.”

You both said your goodbyes and you closed the door with a click. You felt suddenly exhausted and you realized how...angry talking about Monsters and their enslavement made you. You couldn’t even say anything without looking like a sympathiser and it frustrated you.

“Frisk? I’m making lunch soon!” you called up the stairs before you walked almost all the way to the back of the house where the kitchen was; you needed to do something with your hands or you’d start to bite your nails again.

Despite everything, you wanted to believe in the good of people. Even after hearing about murder, rape, burglaries, holocausts, genocides, you wanted to believe that everyone had the capacity for good...but this? Putting an entire race of living beings into slavery...You knew it was possible and that it had happened before--the civil war and civil rights movements were still important facts of history, after all--but had humanity really forgotten so soon?

You felt a bitter laugh come out of your throat; a hollow ugly thing that echoed in the kitchen weakly.

~*~

Weeks passed and lucky for Frisk, it was the summertime which meant they were free from having to worry about school for at least another month. Of course, this also meant a lot of your time was taken up with helping the child settle into their room and into a routine.

Mornings were the easiest. Both you and Frisk were morning people by virtue and it was easy to turn your alarm off at 7, and blearily walk over to their room to knock on the door and get them up. Frisk was either already awake, or woke easily, and the both of you slowly made your way downstairs, usually stopping at a bathroom somewhere on the way to the kitchen. You would cook breakfast--which ranged from eggo waffles on lazy days all the way to fresh made biscuits and gravy if neither of you had anything scheduled for the day.

Frisk would usually go into the living room to watch TV, or sit and talk with you. While you cooked, you used to answer fan-emails, or even check the reviews of the novels you had already published. Now that Frisk was apart of your life, you spent more time humming while you cooked, or spoke with them.

You smiled this particular morning and watched as Frisk curled up in one of the stools at the breakfast bar and lazily laid their head on the cool counter.

“We’re going grocery shopping today,” you said as you scrambled some eggs, “Do you want to eat out for lunch?”

Frisk’s head shot up and they nodded quickly, Can we go somewhere that serves spaghetti?

You hesitated as you watched their fingers move, “Well, sure we can Frisk…”

The topic--more accurately, the elephant in the room--had never been brought up, by you or Frisk. You had thought to ask them about their time in the Underground with Monsters, but it felt so….wrong? Frisk had always been a lonesome child, but any mention of Monsters, either on the news or when the both of you had gone out, it had caused them to start to cry or lash out.

You both ate breakfast without talking much, though Frisk seemed happy at the prospect of eating out, so it wasn’t an uncomfortable or awkward. You smiled as you watched them and heard their feet swing and hit the bar every now and then.

Time passed quickly and soon the two of you were walking out of the place you had picked for lunch--a small diner that served a lot of homemade favorites, including spaghetti--and were on your way to the grocery store when it happened.

Frisk was holding your hand and swinging it back and forth exaggeratedly when a sudden voice up ahead made you both jump.

 _“You stupid fucking monster!_ ” The voice shrieked.

You froze. Your eyes quickly found the source of the noise and saw a swinging purse, but most of the scene was obscured by people on the sidewalk. Frisk must have seen something, though, because they tore off, running toward the disturbance and leaving you calling their name.

You hurried after them and gasped when you saw what was happening.

A skeletal monster side stepped a swing of a woman’s purse, his eye sockets black and void. The woman, obviously frustrated, swung again, but Frisk was suddenly in the way and you tried to hurry forward-

Frisk was nearly knocked off their feet and stumbled backward into the skeleton. You froze when the skeleton actually called Frisk’s name.

“frisk, kiddo!” He caught Frisk, “ya crazy, kid?”

The woman froze and you recognized her from the post office. You felt rage swell in your stomach, and only hesitated a moment when the skeleton’s eye sockets--well, his right one only--glowed blue and he glared daggers at the woman.

You quickly pushed forward.

“Are you crazy?” You spat, standing in front of both Frisk and the Monster, “How _dare_ you!”

The woman sputtered, “H-hey, your kid jumped in the way…”

“That doesn’t matter,” You hissed, your hands on your hips, “Laws are still in place to keep treatment of monsters civil and you have a crowd of-” You made a show of counting the gathering crowd, ‘-Over 10 people who saw you try to abuse your monster and then _hit my Frisk! _”__

__You took a step forward, glaring harder, “I should call the police! I should absolutely drag your ass to court for this!”_ _

__She looked nervous and tried to back away, “No, you wouldn’t-”_ _

__“I would!” You started pulling out your phone and started to dial._ _

__The woman started to sweat and heard people begin to whisper in the crowd, “Wa-wait! Take it! Take it and get it out of my hair!”_ _

__You froze and narrowed your eyes at her, “What…?”_ _

__“Don’t call the police and you can have the stupid thing,” She glared behind you at the skeleton, “It’s useless anyway and I don’t want to end up in trouble for _that. _”___ _

____You were about to protest--or maybe get angrier, you weren’t sure which--when Frisk came up and held your hand._ _ _ _

____“Frisk…?” you watched their hands as they signed._ _ _ _

____ Please, I want Sans to come home with us! _ _ _ _

____Sans? You glanced at the Monster again and felt your resolve waver just a bit._ _ _ _

____He looked a mess. He wore a white t-shirt, with a large blue jacket over it; both were dirty and looked ripped beyond repair. The basketball shorts he wore were ripped stained and there were...bleach spots?...all over them. His feet were bare and you swallowed hard before you turned back to the horrible woman._ _ _ _

____“Fine, but I want something signed by you saying you are turning him over…” You glanced around at the crowd and many took the hint to start walking away._ _ _ _

____Oh what had you gotten into?_ _ _ _

____It only took a moment before the woman shoved a piece of paper at you, dated, signed and stating that she--Barbara Harrison was her name--’gifted’ Sans to you (there was also a number and you realized that it was some kind of tracking number) and gave up all legal rights to him._ _ _ _

____The wording made you feel sick._ _ _ _

____Still, as soon as most of the crowd, and the horrid woman, were gone, you turned and looked between Frisk and the Monster._ _ _ _

____“Sans, right?” You crossed your arms loosely, feeling uncomfortable, “I’m guessing you know Frisk from when they were Underground, right?”_ _ _ _

____The skeleton blinked slowly at you, the ever present grin frozen as he studied you._ _ _ _

____“yeah, the kiddo and i are friends,” He stated simply, his words clipped, “so who’re you? foster parent of the month?”_ _ _ _

____You twitched, his tone immediately saying he didn’t like you, not even a little bit._ _ _ _

____“Actually,” You tried to keep your tone even, “I’m Frisk’s aunt.”_ _ _ _

____Frisk tugged on your sleeve and you looked down at them._ _ _ _

____ We need to take Sans home! _ _ _ _

____You nodded, “Well...no time like the present...grocery shopping can wait until tomorrow.”____

____You picked up Frisk’s hand, and watched as they grabbed Sans’s hand with the other. Without much further ado, you started leading the two of them._ _ _ _


	4. Adjustments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, reposting this chapter after I flubbed up and accidentally posted _this_ chapter instead of chapter three....well, I feel dumb~ lol
> 
> SO! Announcement time~!
> 
> I now have a tumblr where you can send asks and such! [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/), so please feel free to visit and leave an ask~
> 
> Fair warning, I suck at using tumblr 8D

Sans watched you as you lead them up the stairs and through your front door. One human or another, it really didn’t matter anymore. All of them were the same--few wanted to do anything to help monsters and most were happy to have the slave labor.

You didn’t seem much different, as far as he could tell. You easily accepted his ‘contract’ as they were called, and here he was. New human, same bullshit.

You stopped in the entryway and seemed to hesitate.

“Uh...Frisk, why don’t you go up to your room?” You’re voice was uneasy and nervous.

A glance around told Sans that you didn’t have any other Monsters in your ‘service’, but that didn’t mean anything. Not to him.

Frisk started to sign, but you shook your head, “I know you want to visit with Sans-” She said his name tentatively, glancing at him to see if he corrected her; when he didn’t, she continued, “-But he and I need to have an adult conversation right now…”

The kid looked downright annoyed, but still turned and walked up the staircase.

You sighed and rubbed your face before turning to Sans.

“Do you want anything to drink?” You started to move down the hallway, disappearing into the last room on the left before Sans finally forced himself to follow; he was surprised by the offer, but declined it anyway.

“nah.” 

You jumped a little when you realized he was behind you, almost a little closer than you would have liked, but you cleared your throat.

“W-well,” You crossed your arms loosely again before motioning to the small take near the windows, “C’mon, have a seat….”

You sounded nervous and uncomfortable and Sans had a thought you might ask him--or order him, more likely--to provide you with something of a sexual nature; not anything new for him, he’s found out, but it still made him feel used.

He hesitated to sit and instead said, “rather stand, to be honest.”

“Oh, that’s fine,” You felt a little flustered before you took a calming breath.

An awkward silence stretched out as you tried to find the words you wanted to say.

“I’m sorry,” You finally said.

Sans froze, staring at you, “what?”

You sputtered a little, “I mean...sorry, I just…” You cleared your throat and tried again, “What I meant was, I’m sorry you ended up bounced from one owner to another; I never intended to ‘own’ a monster and I still feel uneasy at the idea…”

Sans raised a bony eyebrow at you, “didn’t stop you from accepting so quickly.”

You paused and watched him, “Frisk asked me to do it, and honestly, the idea of you going home with that...that _bitch_ made me feel sick to my stomach.”

His eyes glanced down at your chest, though you didn’t notice. Inside, he caught the glimpse of a bright glowing yellow heart, but that was all he could tell before his eyes found yours again. A sigh left him before he pulled out a chair across from you and settled into it.

“alright, human,” He sunk into his dirty and torn coat, shoving his hands into the pockets before continuing, “what’s your name?”

The way he fell easily into a conversation almost put you off, but you heard your voice answering almost automatically. He nodded at the information before he made a motion with his face, glancing up at the ceiling.

“so you’re the kiddo’s aunt, huh?” He closed one eye socket almost lazily, but the glowing dot in his other socket was trained on you, “they been doing ok up here in the big wide world?”

You glanced upstairs as well before hesitating.

“Well...I do what I can,” You finally answered, “But I only got custody of them a few weeks ago...it's been a long...process...getting the state to finally give them to me.”

You sighed and hesitated again. You didn’t owe anything to this monster; honestly, you could just not answer his questions and it wouldn’t be much sweat off of your brow, but Sans was just a disarming character. Even though you could still feel a little--well, more a lot, but it wasn’t directed at you--anger coming off of him, and it was obvious he was a guarded figure.

Your eyes drifted down to the collar around his neck and took your first good look at the Monster Collar.

It was black and silver, and made of some rigid material that hung loosely around Sans’s thinner neck--vertebrae?--and there were a few displays that seemed to glow slightly.

‘HP 1/1’ was the display that was directly in the front, and a white heart, upside down, was another one you could see.

“see something you like?” Sans was still winking, but his voice had a hard edge to it; you sputtered.

“S-sorry! I’ve never seen a collar b-before,” You waved your hands defensively.

His eyes flicked downward before a sigh escaped him, “well, sorry to get a little hot under the _collar_ there.”

You froze, blinking at him.

“Did you just…?”

He smiled at you.

An unladylike snort left you before you started to shake, “Oh gosh, that was...pretty bad.”

“i got a million of ‘em,” He said it almost automatically before he waited for you to control yourself; then he continued, “so, what exactly do you want from me, then?”

The humor left the room quickly and a chill went up your spine at his tone. You watched as the orbs of light left his eye sockets and he watched you long and hard. You swallowed and tried to find some nerve before you took a breath.

“I...I don’t want anything from you,” You said slowly, “Honestly, I didn’t think twice about it because I don’t _want_ to own you; you’re Frisk’s friend and that’s good enough for me...so I guess, if I wanted anything at all from you...not to destroy the house and to be good to Frisk, but that’s not an order.”

Sans’s eyes widened before narrowing in suspicion.

“you own a monster capable of magic and is forced to follow your every command and you don’t want anything from me,” He almost spat the words out, “you’re pulling my femur.”

You shook your head, “No, I’m not.”

His fists clenched, but before either of you could say or do anything more, Frisk burst into the room, apparently unable to keep themselves from Sans any longer. Their exuberance banished all traces of bad feelings from the room and Sans reacted in patience and caring to the small child.

“woah, careful there, pal,” Sans said as Frisk jumped into his lap, “don’t go breaking me, yeah?”

Frisk began signing quickly to Sans, and the skeleton nodded and responded easily. You felt a small smile appear as you watched Frisk’s exuberance and Sans’s easy interactions.

Finally, Frisk held their nose and signed, You smell like Papyrus’s old spaghetti!

Your mouth dropped, “Frisk! Don’t be rude! Oh, shoot, I should probably set up a guest bedroom and get you a change of clothes…”

Frisk hopped off of Sans’s lap and grabbed the skeleton’s hand as you left the kitchen and started for the second floor.

Come on, aunty is this way!

“alright, alright, kiddo,” He answered easily, following behind Frisk as the child pulled him up the stairs.

You were already in the bedroom between yours and Frisk’s, shaking out the sheets and covers. You heard the two of them walking into the room and absently realized that the sound of bone hitting hard wood sounded almost like multiple small clicks.

Shoes, you also needed to see if you had shoes for him…

You offered a smile to both Frisk and Sans, though you didn’t say anything before moving past them and heading for the master bedroom. You didn’t use the master bedroom and in fact hadn’t been in there since the accident.

No surprise that there was dust everywhere. Still, you pressed on and headed for the closet, looking for something comfortable for Sans to wear. You easily found a new set of basketball shorts--these were dark blue with a gray stripe--and t-shirt. You didn’t find any thick jackets, though you weren’t sure he’d need it in the summer...still, you pulled out a zip-up hoodie in case he wanted it.

Now for shoes...you honestly had no idea what size he wore, but you figured that it would be easy enough just to give him some socks and house slippers to wear until you found something more appropriate. All of these items were gathered into your arms and you made a beeline toward the bathroom, setting all of the things--plus a towel--down onto the counter before you moved back to Sans’s new bedroom.

“Sans,” You said quietly, watching him and Frisk interact; both had smiles on their faces and you winced when you noticed Sans’s smile drop significantly when he noticed you, “S-sorry; I just wanted to show you to the bathroom, so you could bathe and get dressed; my late brother in law had enough clothes to share.”

Sans nodded and followed you to the bathroom so you could demonstrate the handles before you turned and started to leave the bathroom.

“hey…” Sans’s voice stopped you as you turned to glance back, “thanks…”

“You’re welcome,” You smiled, closing the door behind you.


	5. A Night of Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!
> 
> Since I accidentally posted chapter four and most of you have probably already read it, you all get a gift of a SURPRISE CHAPTER~
> 
> So yeah, love me xD

On rare nights like these, it was nice to be able to quietly walk down the stairs and make yourself a hot cup of tea. More than soothing your nerves, you were simply trying to find your center and tea always helped.

You’re newest manuscript wasn’t going as smoothly as you would like.

Stress was not a natural element for you and you usually didn’t do well with it hanging over your head for any extended period of time. Rather than continuing the storyline while you’d been sitting in front of your computer screen for the past--you checked the clock on the microwave; was it really 3:45 in the morning already?--11 hours, you’d been stressing out about your writer’s block and letting the horrible thoughts plague you.

Your royalty checks were your bread and butter, and your main income. It was the money you lived off of because technically all the money currently sitting in that bank account belonged to Frisk. You didn’t begrudge them a single penny, but since you forced yourself not to touch a cent unless it pertained to Frisk or the maintenance of the house, that meant that you were left to yourself to try and find a way to make ends meet.

Groceries, bills, utilities, taxes...plus, being a self-promoter, meant that all those expenses were on your head and if you couldn’t get this next book published-

You sighed and rubbed your eyes. The strain of staring at a brightly lit screen was getting to you and you took your tea to the sliding glass door that lead to the back porch and slipped outside. You left the door cracked, not worrying about the weather since the warm summer night felt nice against your skin.

You never did well in your own head, if you were being honest. Your back met the camping chair that you had put out there as a stand-in for patio furniture that you never quite got around to buying; your knees were pulled up to your chest as you cradled the mug of tea. Half of it was already gone, and it was cooling quickly. A loud sigh left your lips and you rubbed your face with one hand as you let the stress and worry pour off of you in heavy waves, but you still let your eyes move up to the stars. While the nearby city dimmed them a little, it was still a beautiful sight.

“fancy seeing you out here at this hour.”

You gasped and almost dropped your mug as you turned toward the voice, hissing quietly, “S-sans...god, you _scared_ me…”

Sans looked a little amused as he answered, “sorry, bud, didn’t mean to _rattle your bones_.”

You snorted and covered your face in one hand.

It had only been a week since he’d come to live under your roof, and you still found yourself surprised some mornings when he would already be in the kitchen waiting for you and Frisk. Frisk had taken to him so easily, it was easy to believe that Sans had been a friend to them in the Underground. You still had reservations, of course, but it mostly had to do with the fact that Sans usually jumped between wanting to be friendly and snapping at you.

“Do you ever sleep?”

“sure i do,” Sans shrugged from his place leaning against the house and looked up at the sky, “a nap here, a snooze there; feels like i sleep all the time.”

He wasn’t wrong; you had caught him sleeping in every room downstairs, in most positions on almost every available surface. You even swore you caught him sleeping while standing a few days ago, but when you had asked him about it, he only gave you a grin and a wink and walked away.

“Right,” you finally looked away from him and looked back up at the stars again; even though you normally felt a little uncomfortable around him, it was a comfortable silence with no obligation to fill the void that came between you.

It felt like minutes where you watched the sky, lost in your thoughts and finishing your tea, but it was Sans who broke the silence.

“you don’t normally seem the type to stay awake until dawn.”

When you looked back at him, he was watching you. There was a strange look on his face, though it was hard for you to read him because of his ever-present grin. Still, he had made a comment and seemed to be waiting for you to answer him.

“I’m having trouble with my book,” You said easily; how many times had you admitted that kind of thing? Enough to make it seem normal, “I’m just...stuck, and whenever I get stuck, I start to stress out, and I don’t do well under stress.”

“you don’t do well under stress,” He repeated the statement as a question.

“I usually start to overthink things,” You said, motioning to the camping chair next to you in offering and smiling when he moved to sit next to you, “Normally about things that have nothing to do with the book.”

“like, life problems?”

“Basically,” You shrugged quietly, “Tonight, it's mostly about how if I can’t get this book published, I’ll have to start worrying about my royalties running out, and if I don’t have a stable income, I might have to dip into the money that belongs to Frisk, or worse, risk losing Frisk because I don’t have the income to care for them; then it turns to how worried I would be because Frisk doesn’t belong to the foster system. They have a family, me, who would worry every night that they were being mistreated, or that they wouldn’t be understood because they’re mute…”

A heavy sigh escaped, “Then I worry about how good of a job I’m doing at taking care of them; I’ve been their guardian for less than a month, but have I been doing everything I could to make sure they’re happy and adjusted? What about when school starts? How will I handle them being gone for multiple hours a day? What if they get bullied? What if they act out because of how everything has turned out since they came back from the Underground?”

Sans had to break in there, “woah, woah! you worry more than tori, sheesh!”

You paused and glanced at him, “...Who’s Tori?”

“eh, another friend of ours,” he explained nonchalantly, “the kid calls her ‘mom’.”

Ah, there it was; you had been curious as to who Frisk had been referring every time they signed ‘mom’; it became obvious to you not long after they moved in that they weren’t referring to your sister, but Frisk seemed reluctant to talk about any of their friends from Underground except in passing. It worried you a little and hurt a little as well; it gave the distinct feeling that Frisk didn’t think they could confide in you.

“Oh, right,” You looked away and wrapped your arms around your legs, letting the mug dangle from your fingers lazily, “...You and Frisk are really close.”

“yeah, i guess,” Sans shrugged.

You let your cheek rest on your knees, your face turned toward the skeleton, “...don’t take it for granted.”

You had meant it to come out almost jokingly, but your voice was quiet, distant.

Sans looked over at you, his eyes curious; he didn’t say anything, though.

“Sorry,” You murmured, “I just...I guess I’m a little jealous; Frisk never talks about anything deeper than the weather with me. They don’t mention the Underground, or any of their ‘friends’ from down there; they won’t talk about my sister or her husband and most days they pretend that their parents didn’t exist at all. I just...I feel as if I’m floating in a void when it comes to Frisk. I…”

You paused, your eyes getting a faraway look as they drifted over the middle distance, “I wonder if they even see me as family, or if I’m just another temporary home as they try to find somewhere better; somewhere they’d rather be.”

Silence fell between the two of you and you immediately regretted saying anything. Why would he care? According to him, your just another lousy human slave-owner…You had to blame your lack of sleep and the stress that had been hanging over your for hours for letting your tongue slip.

“frisk cares about you,” Sans suddenly broke the silence as he settled deeper into the camping chair--how did he do that no matter where he was sitting?--before looking at you, “they’ve had nothing but praise for how you treat them, and they keep trying to tell me that you're worth trusting; I try, but-”

“-but you’ve seen way too much in the past two years to just take Frisk’s word on it?” You watched for his reaction as you filled the gap after his hesitation.

Sans froze before looking at you, “...yeah, that.”

“Sorry, that was rude,” You looked away and slowly started to study your backyard, just for something to take the awkwardness away.

“nah, it was just a little too close to true,” Sans said quietly, his hands finding the pockets of his sweats--he’d asked and been given permission to raid the closet in the master bedroom--before he let out a sigh, “we all wanted to badly to leave the underground so we could be _free_ and this is what happens when we finally get up here.”

He yanked angrily at the collar around his neck and the surge of anger made his pupils disappear.

You swallowed; of all the faces he’s made, that one sent more chills up your spine than any other.

“...guess we were just askin’ for it,” Sans finally said quietly, “naive and innocent us, hoping that all humans were as understanding and patient as frisk and some days i wonder if we _earned_ this outcome with how stupidly _naive_ we were-”

He stopped when he felt a warm hand land on his shoulder gently. His lightless sockets turned to face you and you swallowed before speaking.

“I...I don’t have any words that would somehow make this situation ‘ok’ or bearable,” you spoke quietly, glancing away almost in shame, “but I can’t...I can’t see this way of life continuing on long without someone, _somewhere_ standing up against this…”

You paused, “It’s _wrong_ ; everything that’s happened to Monsters is wrong and it's a sin against any shred of humanity that we claim to have…”

Sans didn’t say anything in response and in fact almost seemed to have nothing to say in response to what you said.

“S-sorry,” you pulled your hand away and looked away, “I know it sounds hollow and empty...it's...I mean...uh….I should go inside…”

You stood quickly and started for the door. You only stopped when Sans finally spoke.

“heh, no wonder you’re a writer, bud,” he was looking back up at the sky, his body seemingly more relaxed, “you use a lot of pretty little words; and they sound like complete fiction.”

You winced at his slur, but pressed your lips together tightly. The utter...hopelessness that echoed in Sans’s voice made you want to cry, but what could you say to him? Was there anything you _could_ say?

“...Goodnight, Sans.”

“...g’night, pal.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't forget to visit my tumblr~!
> 
>  
> 
> [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)


	6. Inspections

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally finished this chapter and for some reason it was a little harder to pump out then usual, but now I have to adult.
> 
> Beauty school is probably going to delay some chapters, but comments help my motivation, so I appreciate any and all comments you wonderful readers leave me. Also feel free to stop by my tumblr and leave an ask :3
> 
> [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)

Even though it was days ago, your interaction with Sans was still hanging heavy in your mind. He had sounded so...lost, that you wanted to try and find something-- _anything_ \--to try and cheer him up.

Frisk had been a beautiful helper in that much. They didn’t ask why, but as soon as you told them that you wanted to cheer Sans, they had immediately suggested a greasy cheeseburger and lots of ketchup. Frisk had held their arms wide when trying to indicate how much of the red condiment and you couldn’t stop yourself from asking.

“What, does he drink the stuff?”

Frisk had laughed, but hadn’t confirmed or denied.

Still, that meant that dinner was planned for and all you needed to do was head to the grocery store and pick up the ketchup. According to Frisk it would be more than a couple bottles, and that made you pause.

_Did_ he really drink the stuff?

“You sure you don’t want to stay home with Sans?” You asked as you looked down at the 11 year old.

He’ll probably want to sleep.

You nodded in understanding and opened the front door just in time to run straight into someone.

“O-oh, goodness!” You took a step back and looked down at the familiar face, “Mr. Whittier!”

“Ah, sorry,” His round face smiled up at you, “I was just about to ring your doorbell; are you ready for your inspection?”

He paused and glanced at both you and Frisk and the purse thrown over your shoulder.

“Were you going to step out?”

The inspection was today. How could you _forget??_

“A-ah,” You tried to recover quickly, “J-just for a minute, I...I uh, don’t think we mentioned what time you were supposed to be over…”

“Well, the inspection isn’t going to take very long,” Thomas chuckled before you let him in reluctantly, though he didn’t seem to notice, “Much change since the last time I’ve been here?”

You were about to shake your head as you followed him through the hallway into the kitchen, but Mr. Whittier had frozen and you immediately saw why.

“sup?”

Sans was standing by the coffee machine, though he had turned at the sound of the three of you coming down the hallway. You swallowed hard before you were finally able to speak.

“A-ah, Mr. Whittier...this is Sans,” You tried not to stumble over your words, “Sans, this is the case worker in charge of Frisk’s wellbeing, Thomas Whittier…”

“Sans,” Thomas repeated, studying the skeletal monster.

He wore a long pair of sweats with a gray shirt underneath a dark blue zip-up hoodie. Though you doubted Thomas would notice, you could see that the dark bags under Sans’s eyes were darker than normal.

“that’s my name buddy,” Sans said with an easy grin, “I know it's sans-sational, but try not to wear it out.”

A snort left you involuntarily and you had to cover your mouth and turn away to keep yourself under control.

Thomas looked between Sans and you before he managed to collect his composure and act like this wasn’t a surprise that he’d walked in on.

“Well, this inspection won’t take long,” Thomas started to say and you nodded slowly before motioning to Frisk.

“Why don’t you and Sans go watch television?”

I can show him Power Rangers! Frisk was running toward Sans before they finished signing and started dragging Sans into the other room while Sans balanced a cup of coffee in his hand.

The inspection itself was more a check to make sure you still had a stable income and that the house wasn’t a complete wreck and he was right that it didn’t take long for him to go through his paper and mark off the appropriate information.

“I have to say, I’m relieved,” Thomas suddenly said while you both stood alone in the dining room.

“...What do you mean?” You asked, your arms crossed loosely as you waited for him to finish his paperwork.

“That you own a Monster, now,” Thomas didn’t even look up as he said it.

“I beg your pardon?”

“My boss has been on my case about having something to prove you aren’t a Monster Sympathiser; Frisk hasn’t been quiet about their wanting Monsters to be free and it's been sort of a big deal,” Thomas looked a little nervous when he finally turned his round face up to look at yours, “But now that you own a Monster, no one should question it.”

Anger welled up inside your gut and you had to force yourself to keep a steady voice when you next spoke.

“The only reason he’s here is because I couldn’t let him stay with that horrible woman who he was with before,” You were proud of your even and direct tone, “You should know, Mr. Whittier: I won’t do anything to risk Frisk being taken from me, but I am in no way condoning what’s been done against Monsters; it's a crime against everything we as humans are supposed to stand for, so don’t sit here and pretend that you being _glad_ I own a Monster is anything than what it is: disgusting.”

Thomas froze and studied your face. It was clear of anger, though he got the feeling that he had touched a very sensitive nerve.

He didn’t say anything else until you showed him to the door.

Before you could shut it, Thomas stopped you, “Listen, I apologize I upset you; I want to do everything I can to make sure you keep custody of Frisk, so I won’t mention your outburst to my boss, but please...be careful who you say that kind of thing to.”

You nodded curtly and acknowledged the next date he planned to stop by for an inspection before watching his car leave your driveway. Exhaustion suddenly hit you and you pinched the bridge of your nose, hoping that the pressure behind your eyes wouldn’t turn into a full blown headache.

“hey, pal,” Sans’s voice came from behind you.

You jumped and actually banged your knee on the still-open door, making you ground and hunch over to rub the soon to be bruised limb.

A deep chuckle met you, “sorry, didn’t mean to cause harm.”

“No, I’m just jumpy,” You admitted, closing the front door and straightening up.

It was then that you realized what position Sans had you in. You were nearly pressed back against the front door and Sans was standing unusually close to you. At this distance, you noticed that despite your thinking that you both were the same height, he was actually a little shorter than you. His frame was wider than yours, but not unattractively so.

“i heard what you two were talking about, in the dining room,” Sans said quietly.

You felt like ice hit your stomach; after all the work you did to try and come to an understanding between you and Sans and it was all going to go down the drain because he overheard that _stupid_ man saying such _stupid_ things…

“thanks,” Sans suddenly said.

“Huh?”

“i know you are trying your best not to lose Frisk,” Sans wasn’t quite looking at you, but his voice didn’t waver, “but to still say those things to the guy...it took guts. more guts that I obviously have.”

Another snort left your mouth and you let yourself laugh this time, “Jeez, those puns are so bad…”

“but you’re still laughing,” He pointed out with a hint of pride in his voice.

“Yeah, I am.”

 

There was a beat of silence in which you once again noticed how close the two of you were. It was almost enough to make you feel self-conscious, but you were saved when Frisk walked out of the living room.

Are we leaving soon? To go to the store and get dinner? Frisk looked between you and Sans for a moment before you felt your face flush and burn.

“O-of course we are, sweetie,” You said quickly before you reached past Sans to grab your purse, which you left on the table next to the door while Thomas had been there, “We’ll be back soon, Sans.”

You added the second part quietly, relieved when he finally took a step back to give both you and Frisk enough room to leave out the front door.

“yeah, see you two later.”

His voice sounded distant, but you didn’t let yourself look back at him as you lead Frisk toward your car.

You hesitated to drive away when Frisk tugged on your sleeve.

Did Mr. Whittier do something bad?

You blinked slowly before shaking your head, “He was just doing his job, Frisk; why?”

Sans was all fidgety while he was in our house and he kept wanting to check on you, to make sure you were ok.

You felt a blush rise in your cheeks and you cleared your throat, “That’s very sweet of Sans, but Mr. Whittier is just your caseworker; we don’t have to worry about him doing anything bad unless he decides to try and take you away.”

Frisk got quiet and looked down and you quickly reached out to put a hand on their shoulder, “Frisk, I won’t let them take you away from me; I’ll fight tooth and nail if they even try, got it?”

Frisk nodded before leaning over the middle console and hugging you tightly.

You hugged them back and gently ruffled their hair.

“Come on, we have to get that surprise for Sans.”

They nodded and smiled.

~*~

Despite night falling, Sans only turned on one light; he couldn’t seem to bring himself to leave the kitchen as he waited for both you and Frisk. He grimaced; he wasn’t sure when he’d mentally started to include you in his mental list, but he couldn’t help himself. He honestly couldn’t _not_ think of you.

Despite his first assumption, you really weren’t like other humans.

While others acted indifferent to the issue of Monsters, you seemed less indifferent and more trapped in the circumstances. Sans knew enough to know that even though Frisk rightfully should be living with you permanently, there were people out there waiting to take Frisk away if you so much as said something they didn’t approve of. Monster society would never have condoned such ideas--taking a child away from a relative for any reason--but it was just another way that the Surface just didn’t measure up to what everyone’s hopes and dreams had made it out to be.

Bitterness started to rise in his throat and he had to squash it back down.

He crossed his arms and sat back in the chair. The fact that you still had the guts--a snort escaped at the unintentional pun--to say something, even to the one person who could make yours and Frisk’s lives hell touched him in places that he hadn’t let see daylight in a long, long time.

A hand started to rub his face and he sighed as his thoughts strayed darker. He missed his brother, his friends, he missed the norm, and though he hated himself, he hated those damn resets. Frisk had revealed not long after they hit the surface that they no longer had the ability to reset and wasn’t that just convenient that right when they really needed one, the power was just gone, like an illusion in a long forgotten dream.

Before he could think much longer, he heard the front door open, and your voice calling, “We’re home!”

And as if by magic, all of his darker thoughts were chased away. Like a light had been switched on in his soul.

He moved to get up, but Frisk was already in the kitchen and in their arms…

A huge bottle of ketchup. He almost felt nostalgic, but didn’t move initially toward it like he wanted to. His past ‘owners’ had been disgusted by his habit of drinking condiments and forbid it--much to his annoyance, he found the collar even stopped him even when no one was around to enforce the rules.

Frisk, unaware of any of that, quickly ran and poured him a glass of it and even when you walked in and saw what Frisk was doing, you only hesitated for a moment, an eyebrow quirked before putting the bags of food you both had picked up.

Sans could smell the grease from where he sat and it smelled heavenly.

“what’s all this, kiddo?” Sans found himself asking Frisk, though he glanced at you more than once.

Aunty said you’ve been down in the dumps, so we wanted to cheer you up!

Sans stopped and turned his head to look at you.

You hadn’t seen Frisk’s signs, so you simply smiled at the skeleton before placing a bag in front of him.

“Frisk told me about a place you used to go in the Underground. Grillby’s?” You sat at the table across from him and smiled at Frisk when they sat next to Sans, “I’m sure this probably doesn’t taste anywhere near as good, but, you know…”

You got a little bashful and smiled again, “Sorry, I was starting to ramble.”

Sans continued to steal glances at you as the three of you ate, and he realized that he was finding it harder and harder to hold you to any anger he had toward the human race. Slowly, though within the span of two weeks, you had started to melt that glacier he’d built up around his heart to keep it safe.

That terrified him.


	7. Like Romeo and Juliet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay! I know its only two days, but I have daily goals and this chapter (as well as the next chapter for [One Last Time](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6752329)) were a little harder to focus on, but I have them finished!
> 
> Thank you all for your patience, and here is the next chapter!

Today had started out so normally, so how had it come to this?

You were currently standing between two arguing men in the middle of a college classroom as you tried to mediate their childish argument as two new monsters--well, new to you; apparently both Sans and Frisk knew them, so…--held each other in the corner of the classroom.

Why couldn’t life just settle down?

~*~

It was a simple question from Frisk during breakfast that had started the whole trip that would lead you into that strange situation.

You had finally gotten back on track with your writing--despite your talk with Sans making you worry about him, it still de-stressed you and helped with your writer’s block--and an email the night before had perked up your mood considerably: a publisher in another country wanted to pick up one of your books and your agent had already drawn up a contract for you to look over and approve.

All in all, things were starting to look up.

Do you know where everyone else is, Sans?

You stared at Frisk over your oatmeal, blinking slowly before turning to look at the skeleton, “Everyone? Do they mean other Monsters they’re friends with?”

Sans glanced between you and Frisk before nodding, “yeah, they do.”

 

He paused to consider Frisk’s question as he took another long sip of coffee--while you hadn’t commented on his drinking ketchup, he found he didn’t want to push it too far and settled on coffee in the mornings, though he still taken to dousing all of his food in the condiment.

“honestly, kiddo,” Sans finally said, “i haven’t seen anyone else in a long time; the last i heard, tori was with some elderly couple in another city, paps was sold to some traveling circus; the only two who were lucky enough to stay in this city were undyne and alphys. i’m pretty sure alph is at the university near here, but i didn’t get out much.”

You stared at Sans; you were a hundred percent sure that was the most he had said in one sitting and without any puns to boot. Part of you wanted to check him for a temperature, but the rest of you slowly contemplated your food before swallowing.

“We should be able to visit the college today,” You shrugged, “I don’t know if we’ll find anyone, but maybe-”

Frisk cut you off with a hurried set of signs that you had to loudly say, “Frisk! I can’t understand you, slow down!”

If we find Alphys, we have to take her home! Frisk signed it again, moving slower for your sake.

You blinked, your mouth falling a little, “Frisk, honey, I can’t just take in _every_ -”

Frisk signed again, We have to! My friends need to be safe, here!

One of your hands ran through your hair and you winced when you found a tangle. You muttered under your breath as you started to untangle it, trying to buy yourself time as you tugged. A sigh left your mouth as you looked across the table at Frisk.

“Frisk, it...it might not be that simple, sweetie,” You pushed your oatmeal away, suddenly not hungry, “We sort of lucked out with Sans, but…”

You in no way wanted to explain the finer details of buying or trading _slaves_ with Frisk, especially when you had tried so hard to keep yourself out of that business for as long as possible.

The determined look that settled on Frisk’s face made you back down with a sigh, “Alright, alright...I’ll do what I can, but no promises…”

You didn’t want to look at Sans; you were sure he knew what you had been trying to get at with Frisk--how there was a large possibility that you’d have to actually _buy_ his friends and you felt sick at the idea of it. You didn’t want to see what sort of reaction would be on his face.

Disappointment? Anger? Acceptance? You weren’t sure which of the three was worse, but you didn’t want to find out.

Sans saw the miserable look on your face and felt moved to feel sorry for you. He had come to accept that you really did hate the idea of Monsters as slaves, and it was also easy to accept that when your will was put against Frisk’s, you caved like a snowman in summer. It would have been amusing, if the subject had been anything else.

It was only a matter of an hour that you and Frisk were ready; to your surprise, Sans was waiting for the two of you at the door.

“You want to come?” You blinked at him.

“i figured this could be like a _field trip_ ,” Sans shrugged, grinning as Frisk started to giggle.

You smiled, “It's nice to hear you expanding your repertoire, but a few of these can barely be qualified as a pun.”

Sans shrugged, “don’t worry, pal; i’ll _skull_ you in puns later.”

You snorted and started to laugh, feeling your frame shake from the sound. Hearing you snort, Frisk started to laugh louder and you put a hand on the door to balance yourself.

Sans felt pretty good about making the two of you laugh so hard. His glowing eyes watched you as you tried to control yourself and right then, he decided he really like the sound you made when you snorted. It somehow suited you.

“We’d better go, before you trap us in the house with your wit, Sans,” You pulled the door open and let Frisk run ahead toward the car while you smiled at him.

“don’t need to tell me twice,” He shoved his hands into his pockets and followed the two of you toward the car.

~*~

You were a little familiar with the University, if only because you had done book signings in their large library before. In all honesty, it wasn't a place you thought about at all. You hadn't gone to college after high school; you had spent a good number of years working odd jobs as you wrote for small no name magazines and customer service rep jobs until you managed to get your big break from the fourth book you'd tried to publish.

It wasn't a time you looked at fondly on your memory, but you refused to complain about it. Mornings spent writing what you could of a manuscript, afternoon and nights dedicated to second and third jobs, all the while depending on the hurried prayers to whoever was listening that _this_ time, you'd get a call back with the promise of a publication.

You shook your head and tried not to think more on it. Right now, you wanted to focus on trying to find Frisk and Sans’s friend.

Alphys is really smart; she's the one who made Mettaton! Frisk signed when you asked them for some kind of clue as to where Alphys might be.

“the kid is right about that,” Sans seemed more relaxed than he had in awhile, “alphys was the royal scientist back in the underground.”

You blinked slowly as you turned in a slow circle trying to survey the building around you, “Well, if someone were using her smarts to make themselves look better, then probably the robotics or sciences buildings is where we should start.”

After deciding that, it was just a quick trip to the directory and then you three were off to the closest building.

The main science building was, as far as you could tell, the oldest building on the property; it also looked to be the biggest. You felt yourself gulp hard at the thought of searching the whole place, but steeled yourself for it anyway.

“Well, we should get started,” you said before stepping forward and entering the building.

The inside looked newly updated and it threw you a little, since it didn't match the look of the outside, or even tea rest of the campus; the floors and walls were stark white, while the ceiling was painted black.

It reminded you of a hospital and that sent an uncomfortable pit into your stomach.

Minutes turned into an hour, which dragged into another as the three of you peaked into classrooms and labs, moving up to the second floor when the first proved to be fruitless. There were four floors, but your hopes had started to dwindle as the three of you moved to the third.

“What if she's not here?” You sighed.

Sans turned his head as if he was going to answer, but the three of you stopped as you stepped out of the stairwell of the fourth floor and heard someone scream in at the top of their lungs.

“YOU STOLE MY RESEARCH AND ALL I HAVE LEFT IS THIS SHITTY JOB AS THE PHYSICAL EDUCATION COUNCILLOR!”

You froze, glancing down at Frisk and over at Sans before you quietly crept forward toward the yelling.

The room they were in was a large lecture hall, though there were only four occupants. Two men stood near the teacher’s desk, leaving about 10 feet between them as they yelled back and forth; you couldn’t distinguish one voice from the other as their voices overlapped and echoed.

The other two were monsters; one was a smaller and yellow and reminded you of a dinosaur. The other was tall and beautiful; she had blue skin and bright red hair, with what looked like fins instead of ears. The two monsters were holding each other’s hands tightly, as if they were worried they’d be ripped apart.

You swallowed, “G-geez, they’re going at it…”

The idea to suggest that the three of you come back was about to leave your mouth when Frisk pulled the door open wide enough to slip inside and hurried over to the two monsters.

“Frisk!” You hissed before hurrying inside as well.

The fighting had stopped as soon as the men noticed that Frisk was signing quickly to the two monsters in the room.

“Hey, you’re not supposed to be here!” The first man said; he looked younger, and was tall. The shorts and polo he wore made you think that this might have been the first man you heard yelling.

The second man was talking before the first had stopped, “Kid, you can’t just wander where you want!” The second man was older, with a salt and pepper beard overtaking his chin. He wore large glasses and a lab coat.

“S-sorry!” you spoke up, moving closer to the men while Sans moved toward Frisk and the other two, “M-my chibling just wanted to say hi...apparently those two are friends of theirs…”

Both men rounded on you, staring blankly.

“Chibling?” The older man blinked owlishly.

The younger man snorted, “It stands for ‘sibling’s child’, Philips.”

The two were glaring at each other again, “Don’t talk down to me!”

_Oh brother…_

You wanted to roll your eyes, but instead took a deep breath and moved closer, “G-gentlemen, please….I can see the two of you don’t see eye to eye, but-”

“He stole the data from my research!” The younger man suddenly burst, pointing at Philips, “That was going to get me my ride through college and into a solid job, but now I’m stuck as a _councilor_.”

“Don’t be mad, Matt,” Philips crossed his arms, “I would have come to the same conclusion anyway, what with Alphys working with me now.”

You glanced at the two monsters and realized that one or the other must be Alphys; the yellow dinosaur started to blush as Philips spoke and you felt you could hazard a guess that she was the one.

“Well, I don’t know anything about that kind of thing,” You finally said, though your insides churned at the way the older man just brushed off the younger man’s--Matt, right?--complaint as if it were dust off of his coat, “But, I mean, that sounds like a dirty thing to do; stealing research, I mean.”

You saw the glare leveled at you by Philips and swallowed hard, “H-hey, I’m not here to get involved, I…”

Well, what were you doing there? Frisk was busy talking to the three monsters, signing away quickly. You had promised you would try to bring Alphys home, but it seemed like they knew the blue monster too….did that mean that was Undyne? You wanted to groan and rub your forehead, but the two men were starting to harp at each other again.

“Listen,” You started, taking a step forward, but froze when you saw that they were yelling again.

A headache began to form behind your eyes, and you moved to stand between them, “Hey! I understand the two of you are very busy, but I would appreciate it if the two of you would consider an offer I have!”

They ignored you and you grit your teeth in irritation. Now you were just standing between two angry men, while the group of monsters nearby (plus Frisk) started to watch the three of you.

“HEY!” You tried to get their attention, but the two men were getting angrier and louder. They each took a step toward each other and you swallowed hard; they were getting close and the way you were standing, you were almost trapped between them and the desk. Your palms started to sweat at the realization that both of the men were bigger than you and were nearly snarling at each other.

“ _GIVE ME MY DUE CREDIT!_ ”

“ _GO BACK TO THE OFFICE, ALPHYS AND I HAVE WORK TO DO!_ ”

For a beat, there was silence between the men, but then a dangerous flash crossed Matt’s eyes as he called out, “Undyne! Attack that stupid little dinosaur! He can’t lord her over me if she’s _dust_!”

“No!” Undyne spoke for the first time, her voice low and rough.

You gasped when you saw her collar start to glow and Undyne let out a howl of pain as her body started to move.

“Alphys, everyone! G-get out of the way! I can’t…”

Your eyes widened when bright blue spears started to appear above the fish-like monster and you swallowed hard when you felt the almost painful pull from your chest.

The four humans in the room had their hearts appear in front of them. The two men had clouded colors, but you could clearly see that Matt had a bright purple heart and that Philips had a light blue colored heart. Yours was a clear yellow, glowing gently near your chest.

But Frisk’s...wow.

The room actually took on a deep red aura as Frisk’s appeared. Their heart was pulsing gently, and the red color was rich and deep. You tried to look away--there was danger present--but for moment, Frisk’s soul had your full attention. The glow from it even made you feel different. Before, you had started to sink into yourself, afraid of what the two men would do to each other--or worse, you. But now...now you felt more determination than you ever had before.

“S-stop!” you cried, your voice hesitating while the rest of you tried to catch up with your actions.

Frisk had stepped in front of Alphys, their look steady and determined. You rushed forward, not knowing what would happen or how, but you couldn’t let Frisk stand alone--

Before you realized it, you were standing in front of Frisk, and three bright blue spears were flying straight toward you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)


	8. A Cost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided that you lovelies waited patiently for my update for two days that I'm giving you all a second chapter as a Thank You!

Your breath left you, and your body froze. A chill raced up your spine, trying to race the spears that were heading straight for you. All feeling left your limbs, your pupils dilated and all you could see was the glowing blue of the spears, the shocked and terrified face that was plastered on Undyne’s face, the glow of her collar.

Your skin prickled, the small hairs standing on end as the spears got closer, the mark of their power on your body even though they were still feet away. You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t focus, you couldn’t even think. All you knew in this frozen moment was that the next moment would be your last.

Even facing death this way, you didn’t cower back. You felt resolve harden in your gut and you pulled in a breath, your very last one. Your heart doubled the speed of it's pounding, trying to use it's last moments to try and steal as many beats as it could.

You squared your shoulders, you pressed your lips together and you refused to budge.

And in a moment, your soul, fluttering silently in front of you, flashed a deep green and a thin, transparent wall appeared between you and the blue projectiles, causing them to bounce off harmlessly with the light _ting ting ting_ of something tapping against crystal.

“A-ah…”

Your legs turned to jelly and all the air left your body as you hit the ground, your legs folded on either side of you. You reached up to touch your face, and felt your whole body trembling from the adrenaline rush of facing what you thought had been your death.

“U-Undyne, stop!” You heard the younger man--Matt, right? You could hardly remember his name in this moment--yell an order and saw Undyne nearly fall to the floor as well.

“Sh-shit,” Undyne’s rough voice broke over you and you finally looked up at her.

Her visible eye was on you, it's yellow color looking pale; paler than her skin, which had turned from a deep blue to a sickly speckled blue. You saw yellow pass by you as Alphys hurried to Undyne’s side, though Undyne tried to push her away.

“Alph, I can’t…” Her voice sounded weak and flighty, “I couldn’t control it! What if i…”

“U-Undyne, p-please…” Alphys was already in tears.

A warm hand found it's way to your shoulder and you slowly looked at it before following it up to it's owner.

Sans wasn’t looking at you; he was staring at the two men, and by the look on their faces, they were horrified. A part of you wondered how much of it had to do with knowing you had almost died, and how much of it was just from Sans’s expression alone.

“O-oh my god,” Matt looked paler than paper.

Philips wasn’t fairing much better; he was staring from one person to the next, completely speechless.

You started when Frisk ended up in your lap, tears falling down their face as they tried to sign questions, but their hands were shaking too badly. The determined look was long gone and all you saw was the small child you knew Frisk to be.

“I-it's ok, Frisk,” You tried to put any kind of power in your voice, but you felt like there was a thick lump in your throat and it wouldn’t go away.

Frisk reached up and brushed their fingers against your cheek and it was only then that you realized you were crying. You started to shake harder and pulled Frisk against your chest and buried your face in their hair while you tried to keep yourself from crying.

It was a few moments before you could even try to regain your composure, but when there wasn’t any noise, you realized you had to say or do _something_...

You took a shaky breath and pulled away from Frisk, though you still held them against your chest tightly.

“A-are you two _quite_ finished?” You swallowed after you said it, but tried to keep your reprimanding tone, “I can appreciate that you feel your life has been derailed, but using violence...completely and morally wrong.”

Matt looked down and it looked as if Phillips was going to say something when you interrupted again.

“Speaking of _morally wrong_ ,” You bit, looking at Phillips and found he wouldn’t look you in the eye, “Stealing someone’s research and then hiding behind the weak excuse that you’d have thought of it anyway--not only that but _using_ Alphys as apart of your excuse--makes you just as bad! You both should feel terrible for this and all because the two of you couldn’t try to reconcile between the two of you.”

They wouldn’t look at you, but you saw them steal glances at each other. You felt Sans’s hand tighten minutely on your shoulder and you glanced up at him; he still wasn’t looking at you, but you could see that he’d relaxed considerably and was looking over at Undyne and Alphys now. You took a steadying breath and helped Frisk stand.

Then it was your turn, and you wondered if you could stand as you felt your legs begin to shake. Suddenly there was a hand at your elbow and around your waist. Sans helped you the rest of the way and even though his arm around your waist disappeared, he kept a hand on your elbow until you were steady.

You offered him a smile of thanks before you turned back to the two men.

A sigh left you and you loosely crossed your arms over your stomach, “Listen, it's not my business to get in the middle of whatever is going on between you two; that’s your problems and you probably would like it if I just butted out-”

“Why did you even come here?” Matt was the one who asked and he looked miserable.

“...Well,” You looked down at Frisk and finally decided you couldn’t let your own embarrassment over asking get to you.

“My chibling here, Frisk, is the same Frisk who helped the Monsters leave Mt. Ebott,” You explained quietly; both men froze and looked down at Frisk, almost in a new way, “And these two are both friends of theirs...I came here looking for Alphys, but I would like to take Alphys and Undyne home with us…”

You didn’t want to word it the way that you should have; asking to buy Frisk’s friends felt dirty and you didn’t want Frisk to hear it. Frisk wasn’t an idiot, you were sure of that, but if you could spare them of this...this _sin_ , then you would take the mark against your soul and spare the child of it all.

Phillips started to protest immediately, but Matt spoke over him, “You want me--us--to give you the contracts?”

You shook your head, but didn’t say more; instead, you turned to look at Sans.

“Sans, could you please keep an eye on Frisk? I’ll be right back.”

Sans nodded, “sure thing, pal.”

The two men hesitated, but ultimately followed you as you beckoned them into the hallway.

You made sure the door was closed firmly before you swallowed and turned to them, “I don’t expect you to just _give_ me their contracts, I’m not stupid, nor a charity case. I would offer you money in exchange, the way it's usually done.”

Phillips tried to say something, but Matt spoke over him again, “Well, money is nice and all, but Undyne helps me run my classes; I can’t just lose her like that.”

“I’m not asking you to deal with that either,” you sighed and rubbed your eyes; now that your adrenaline had worn off from the experience, you felt like you were going to faint, “I don’t need three monsters at the house getting antsy and all that...if they don’t disagree, they can keep working with the both of you; but that’s if they want to.”

Phillips finally got a word in, “They’re _Monsters_ , they don’t get a say-”

You silenced him with a stare, “I could also report both of you to the campus superintendent for almost attacking my chibling and I could also report what I some of the things I heard, which would launch an investigation on both of your accounts.”

“That’s blackmail!” Phillips glared, “That’s illegal-”

“No more illegal than stealing someone’s work, or assaulting someone, or enslaving an entire race of sentient beings,” You snapped before taking a short sigh, “Sorry...I just...I’m doing my best, now that I’m in charge of raising Frisk; Frisk wants all of their friends to be safe and sound living in my home and I promised I would do what I could.”

Both men glanced between each other and then at you.

“I don’t know about this,” Phillips sighed, “Alphys is an asset to my research, and losing her--if she chose not to help me anymore--would be a great loss.”

“Why don’t you just bring him on?” You pointed at Matt, raising a tired eyebrow, “If you stole his research, it's obvious he’s smart enough to help you, and he’d get his due credit because he would be working with you.”

Both froze and looked at each other as if they had never thought of that idea.

“I swear, _men_ ,” You grumbled, feeling your legs start to shake again, “Can we come to an agreement?”

They hesitated, but Matt suddenly flushed a little, offering Phillips a smile, “Well...I mean, it would be cool to work with you.”

Phillips blinked before rubbing his beard, “I suppose I agree with that notions...I did have a few questions about your research…”

You smiled despite yourself, though you had to lean against the wall to keep yourself standing.

“And as for me?” You asked hopefully, your voice quiet.

“I do believe we can come to some sort of agreement,” Phillips answered, “Allow us a few days to think about it and we will be in touch, yes?”

“Can I get that in writing or something?”

Matt did you one better, “Well, why don’t those two just stay with you? We’ll get everything processed and you can send the money.”

They were almost the most agreeable people you’ve ever spoken with now that they weren’t overly enraged with each other. Still, you felt wary of the shift in attitude.

“That sounds agreeable,” You nodded and reached into your pocket to pull out an older business card of yours that had the right phone number on it, “Here, this is how you can get ahold of me, and it also has my agent’s phone number on it, in case you can’t get ahold of me.”

And with that agreement, the two men walked down the hall. As soon as they were out of sight, you slid to the floor and rubbed your hands against your arms. You were suddenly freezing and you needed to take large gulps of air to keep yourself calm. You were crashing, hard. What you really needed was to get home, but there was no way you could get home in this state.

“you ok?” A worried voice was suddenly coming from next to you.

You jumped a little, but looking up revealed that Sans, Frisk and even the two female monsters were now in the hallway, looking down at you with worried expressions.

“S-sorry,” You breathed quietly, “I just...I need to get home, I feel like I’m going to pass out…”

 

“come on, I can drive well enough to get us home,” Sans said, helping you to your feet much the same way he had in the lecture hall.

“You can drive?” You asked with some humor in your voice.

“well enough,” he repeated, before he asked, “what’s going on with Alph and Undyne?”

You blinked before looking back at them.

Undyne still looked shaken, but she was standing on her own. Her hand was connected to Alphys’s, and the smaller Monster kept shooting the taller woman worried glances.

“They’re coming home with us,” You said, smiling when Frisk jumped into the air in excitement.

You were happy that Alphys knew where the elevators were, because you didn’t think you could make it down the stairs; you weren’t even sure you could handle standing in the elevator for too long, even with Sans helping you.

Sans himself was having a hard time controlling his emotions.

When they first walked into the lecture hall, he’d been on edge just a bit. Yelling humans meant that they were unpredictable, and while you and Frisk were humans and more durable, there was really no telling what could happen to Undyne, Alphys or even himself. Plus, there was the fact that Frisk was a child…

Then the order was called for Undyne to attack Alphys and Sans knew Undyne wouldn’t be able to stop herself. It honestly hadn’t worried him quite at first; Alphys was capable, even if she was shy and reluctant to fight, and Sans already knew Frisk could handle Undyne’s attacks, they’d proven that much back in the Underground. No, he didn’t start to worry until you were suddenly in front of Frisk, your arms spread wide to protect them, and Alphys too.

He hadn’t noticed you moving to get in the way, and by the time he realized just what you were doing, he already knew there was no way he could charge his magic and use it. There wasn’t enough time. In that moment, he had been convinced that he was about to watch you die; that Frisk would have to watch you die.

Sans swallowed, trying not to think about the relief that flooded his bones when he saw that shield appear; the one that Frisk was so adept at using, but you’d done it without any nudging or prodding from Undyne.

It wasn’t until the group was home, and after he made sure the group was safe in the kitchen and you were safe in your bed that he finally let himself relax.

You passed out almost as soon as your head hit your pillow, and Sans let himself out. He leaned against your door as soon as it was closed and he buried his skull into his hands and took a few deep breathes to keep himself from losing too much control of his emotions. After all, you were safe in your bed, Frisk was downstairs, also safe. As a bonus, even Alphys and Undyne were safe, though Undyne seemed a little worse for wear mentally.

She’d obviously had never had her collar take control of her magic before, and for that Sans did not blame her in the least. He remembered the first time an owner had absolutely ordered him to do something: the loss of will, the weak, sick feeling that filled the limbs and the wrenching that happened when the magic started to work on it's own, unheeded of your own will and all you could do was _watch_ while-

Sans forced himself to stop and swallowed thickly.

He needed some air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)


	9. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All you reviewers and kudo-leavers are awesome! I love you all and hope I'm keeping up with your expectations for this story~
> 
> I'm currently writing a chapter a day for this and my other fic ([One Last Time](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6752329)) which leaves me feeling a little drained, but knowing all you wonderful people actually like what I write keeps me going, so Thank You all!!
> 
> Just a quick FYI: you all might start noticing a little '~*~' start appearing in my writing more and more, and just so you all know, its mostly just to help me organize thoughts and mark the end of one scene and the beginning of another. Sometimes there's a small time jump, sometimes its an immediate transition and hopefully I'll be clear on which is which. If I'm not, please leave a comment or drop me an ask over at my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)

You woke with a start, and a sharp gasp. The dream--or nightmare, if your nervous gasping was any indication--faded from your mind almost as quickly as you could try to remember it. There was the vague sense of falling, pain, and….Frisk. Frisk had disappeared.

A glance toward your clock told you it was 2 in the morning and you hoped Frisk would be in bed by now, but you could honestly say you had no clue. A sigh escaped you and you slipped out of bed; you wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep, you already could feel the alertness creeping into your mind. And besides that, you needed to check on Frisk.

You were an adult and you were fully capable of distinguishing dreams from reality...but you had to check anyway. All the lights were off as you left your bedroom, but a full moon hung outside, letting you see well enough to creep down the hallway, past Sans’s room and into Frisk’s door.

The nightlight that Frisk refused to turn off--even during the day--gave enough light for you to see that Frisk was curled up in a ball on their bed, and that Alphys was sitting on the bed, sleeping while she leaned against the wall. Undyne was sitting on the floor, her head resting on her folded arms and her hand reached out to hold Alphys’s as they both slept.

You felt a smile appear, but also an embarrassed sigh left you; you’d passed right out and hadn’t gotten them settled at all...you’ll have to fix that, but you weren’t sure what you were going to do. Two Monsters, but only one smaller room and the master room; you weren’t preserving the master bedroom or anything, but it felt...wrong to give it away to just anyone who needed a place to sleep.

You glanced at their joined hands before quietly closing the door. Maybe they’d want to share? They seemed to care about each other much deeper than just two friends.

Now there was the problem of you being wide awake at 2AM to deal with. A part of you contemplated checking in on Sans, but decided against it. You got the sense he didn’t sleep much and there was the chance that if he was asleep, you might wake him up. A blush burned your face after a moment; besides that, why did you feel suddenly familiar enough to check up on him in the middle of the night?? What would you have said if he did wake up? ‘Sorry, just checking on everyone in the house, because obviously you all need it?’

You didn’t even let yourself look at his door as you headed for the stairs and then toward the kitchen. Coffee at this hour would just make you nervous and jittery, but a hot cup of tea sounded about your speed.

Normally tea was meant for your writing sessions or when you needed to settle your nerves; technically you weren’t in either situation, so a part of you contemplated heading into the study and booting up your laptop so you could get a little bit of work done.

The downstairs was just as dark, but you were happy to see that the rooms were still mostly clean. The sitting room had a few cushions out of place, the living room had a few empty soda cans and the kitchen had the marks of dinner being prepared--dishes in the sink, the stove wasn’t clean--but it gave the home a lived in feel that was cozy rather than dirty.

A smile was on your face as you made your tea.

“heya,” The voice was lowered and you jumped a bit.

“O-oh, Sans!” you breathed, putting a hand to your chest, “I thought you’d be asleep.”

Sans stood in the archway that lead out to the hallway and he looked like he had been asleep; he was only swearing a thin white t-shirt and black sweatpants. His feet were in the house slippers as usual, but you could see he wasn’t wearing any socks.

“was; woke up and was on my way outside,” He shrugged easily, “sorry for startlin’ ya, pal.”

You offered him a smile, “No, it’s alright...I’m just still getting used to other people being in the house, is all.”

Sans seem to consider this and finally asked, “Your Frisk’s Aunt...did you not live here with their parents?”

You found the boiling water very interesting for a moment, but answered anyway, “No...I was kind of an independent child; when my parents told me I had to go to college or move out--that I couldn’t make any money at writing, basically--I moved out and came here to Ebott City; it wasn’t so bad, I suppose. I worked all the time, two or three jobs sometimes, and I wrote whenever I got a free moment.”

“sounds like frisk-levels of independence,” He chuckled, moving deeper into the kitchen and closer to you.

A smile appeared on your face as you watched him move closer, “Yeah, honestly; I didn’t tell my parents or my sister how much I probably needed their help. I didn’t want to admit that they were right, and for my first three books, they were--right, I mean. No one wanted to pick my stuff up, everyone told me I was too green behind the ears. So I started writing for a few magazines--just selling them articles mostly--and then I wrote my fourth book.”

“ya don’t have any of them in that study,” He glanced curiously at the door across the hallway, “just other books and that laptop.”

You blushed a little, “I just don’t see the point in keeping those very first editions out in the open...I have my original, right there on my laptop, and it always seemed...I don’t know--egotistical?--to display my published books in my own house.”

You finished making your tea and motioned for him to follow you.

The study was somewhat like a library, with bookcases built into the walls and a few standing free near the ornate antique desk that your brother-in-law inherited from some obscure relative. You’d only visited the house once or twice before their accident and you couldn’t remember the fine details of different things in the house as the both of them tried to explain it to you. You remembered enough to reference in a book, but who wanted to know the entire history of a desk?

Your laptop was closed on top of the desk, but you ignored it for now, placing your cup of tea on the available coaster you had bought specifically for this reason, and opened one of the drawers to the left. It was deep, but there were only a few things inside.

A cup of markers and pencils, a few pages of important documents and contracts...and three hardcover books that looked like they’d never been opened or touched since they’d been placed there, and the truth was, they hadn’t.

You motioned to them and watched as Sans pulled them out, one by one.

“Your welcome to read them,” You sipped at your tea, “I just keep them in there to keep the clutter reduced, but don’t worry about keeping them pristine or anything; I kept them mostly out of courtesy.”

Sans nodded and put them on the desk for safekeeping before nodding toward the door.

“care to join me?”

Was that hesitation in his voice?

You blinked before offering him a smile, “Yeah, that would be nice.”

The stars were beautiful, as always; Sans and you managed to have a decent conversation without something heavy hanging over the two of you. He made plenty of puns, some hilarious, some that only made you snort from their absurdity, but he seemed happy with either reaction. At some point, puns had turned into knock knock jokes.

“knock knock.”

“Who’s there?”

“cows-go.”

“cows-go who…?”

You were both sitting in the camping chairs again, but this time they were closer together and angled so you both were almost facing each other.

“nah, cows go _moo_ ,” Sans shrugged nonchalantly and the images of his shrug with the punchline left you shaking with quiet laughter.

“O-ok, ok, I got one,” You smiled.

“shoot,” Sans fixed you with a wide grin.

“Knock knock.”

“who’s there?”

“Harry.”

Sans tilted his head, having never heard this one before, “harry who?”

“ _Harry_ up and open the door, I’m freezing!”

There was a pause as Sans stared at you before he was gone, laughing and shaking as he hunched over, holding his sides.

“oh geez, pal, a pun and a knock knock joke all in one?”

“Oh, that’s nothing,” You fixed him with your own smile, “Knock knock.”

“who’s there?”

“Doris.”

“doris who?”

“Doris locked, open up!” You couldn’t help but giggle as Sans lost it again.

“Knock knock!”

“wh-who’s there?” He tried to get control of his laughing as you pushed on.

“Dwayne.”

“dwayne who?”

“Dwayne the bathtub, I’m dwowning!”

Sans almost fell forward out of his chair laughing, and you smiled proudly. There was something about making Sans laugh that made you feel warm inside. Maybe it was the fact that he always was the one telling puns and jokes to make everyone else laugh, maybe it was the fact that you wanted to do something for him.

Your smile faltered a little when you heard the echo of your sister’s voice in your head.

_Most times, it's the saddest people who want to make people laugh the most._

Everything in you wanted to ask, but it was too personal; even Frisk wouldn’t talk about what actually happened in the Underground, but you got the feeling that something happened. You just weren’t too sure it was anything good.

You and Sans traded jokes back and forth for hours, and it wasn’t until the sky started to get light that you paused and turned to watch the horizon.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve actually been awake for a sunrise,” You admitted quietly, a small smile still on your face.

“I catch it most mornings,” Sans said, though his eyes hadn’t left you.

Silence took over the two of you as the sky changed from black to purple, then orange, red and yellow, and finally blue started to dominate the sky. It was peaceful and quiet, and in the stillness you found the happiest part of this sunrise was who you were sharing it with.

A blush dusted your cheeks, and you pressed your lips together.

After the sun had finally risen above the horizon, you breathed a deep sigh of satisfaction and glanced over at Sans. You felt your blush return when you found he was watching you.

“I-is something wrong, Sans…?” Saying his name left a lump in your throat.

He didn’t answer at first, but you noticed a small blue glow that appeared on his cheeks.

“the kid will definitely be up soon,” He finally said, “we should probably get things going for the day, ya?”

You hesitated, but nodded anyway.

Breakfast was a time to think for you, at least. Sans had offered to go and wake up the three in Frisk’s room and after that the four of them happily chatted with each other and you were left to your own thoughts.

That blue coloring on Sans’s face...had that been a blush? It had been over his cheeks, so it was possible. Still, you took a breath and glanced over at him.

He must have taken a moment to get dressed, because now he was wearing the navy blue basketball shorts and the hoodie you had gotten for him was zipped all the way up to his chin. His collar was over the hoodie, and even you thought it looked uncomfortable.

He was smiling easily with the other three, though he seemed to prefer to listen than to talk. Frisk was almost attached to his arm, though the child easily switched from Monster to Monster depending on who they were trying to get the attention of. Your eyes flickered over to Undyne and you almost jumped when you noticed that she was watching you quietly. Despite your guess that she was a boisterous personality, she seemed more withdrawn and uneasy than the others.

You offered her a small smile, which seemed to confuse her; her eye widened before she looked down and away. You wanted to ask if anything was wrong, but while you were cooking breakfast hardly seemed the time or place.

~*~

“Hey, I was going to set up the spare bedroom, but I kind of wanted to know…”

You paused as you addressed Alphys and Undyne; Frisk had dragged Sans away from some fun in the kitchen--you swore if they didn’t clean up, you’d lock them both in the basement--giving you a perfect opportunity to ask before you walked up the stairs.

Alphys started to blush, but Undyne watched you curiously, “Wanted to know what?”

She almost snapped, but you had found out over the course of the day that this was just Undyne’s way of addressing everyone--everyone except Alphys, that is.

“Well, if you two wanted to share a bedroom,” You finished, shrugging your shoulders.

“Sh-sh-sh-share a b-b-b-b-bedroom?” Alphys was turning a dark, burnt orange color while Undyne shrugged.

“Sure,” She shrugged, glancing at Alphys before blushing as well.

“I...I’m sorry, are you two not together…?” You looked between the two of them before blushing, “That was rude, you don’t have to answer that-”

Undyne cut you off easily, “We started dating right before we left the Underground, but we got separated after everything that happened.”

 

Alphys nodded, though her blush didn’t fade.

“I’m sorry,” You pressed your lips together, “That must have been so hard...I couldn’t...well, I haven’t ever been...uh.”

 

You blushed and cleared your throat, “I’ll go set up the room; it's the one across from mine, so…”

Undyne stood from her seat next to Alphys and brushed her fingers across the top of the smaller Monster’s head, “I’ll go help the human out; relax a while, yeah nerd?”

“I-if your s-sure,” Alphys kept her eyes on Undyne as the taller woman--she was more than a full head taller than you--walked toward you.

You didn’t hesitate to turn and walk up the stairs. The door that lead to what was now their room was directly right of the staircase. The door opened soundlessly, and you moved to the closet to pull out the linens that were kept in there for this bedroom. There was the fitted sheet already on the bed, but that was only to keep it from getting dust on the mattress.

“Good thing the bed is big enough,” Undyne commented, though her voice was quieter than usual.

You glanced at her and saw the shy, almost unsure look that was on her face as she studied the room.

“All the guest rooms have full size beds,” you pulled out a new fitted sheet, and a flat sheet before you placed them on the nearby bedside table. Then you started to pull off the old fitted sheet, “Except for Frisk’s; theirs has a smaller bed, and the master bedroom has a california king size.”

“California king?” Undyne blinked before looking at you, and watching as you changed the sheets and started to smooth out the flat sheet.

“It’s basically the biggest mattress you’ll see unless you custom order one for yourself,” You explained before moving into the closet again to pull out the comforter, “I’ll show you the master bedroom as soon as I’m done here.”

Undyne nodded absently, before words suddenly spilled out of her mouth, “I’m really sorry.”

You paused in your motions, letting the comforter stay rumpled on the bed as you turned to face her, “Sorry for what…?”

Undyne blushed and sputtered, “I...back at the college, I almost...I didn’t want to! It...it just…”

Neither one of you noticed the shadow on the other side of the door, which was only partially cracked open.

“You mean when Matt ordered you to attack…?” You asked quietly, trying not to think of the bottomless pit of feelings that had overtaken you when you stared down those blue spears.

“Y-yeah...I…” Undyne looked almost husked out, unable to find anything inside, let alone words.

“Undyne,” you finally sighed, crossing your arms loosely over your stomach, “Those collars that you, Sans, and Alphys wear...they’re horrible items that were created by all the malice that humanity had to offer; I’m sorry they exist, and I’m sorry there isn’t a way to remove them now that you’re here in my house. If I could, I would...knowing that, I don’t blame you for what happened. It was a horrible situation, made worse because of anger and hatred.”

Undyne’s shoulder’s slumped a little as you spoke and her ears--fins?--drooped. She looked smaller, almost childish in front of you and still you stepped forward and gently rested your hand on her arm.

“Hey,” you said quietly, “Don’t ever blame yourself for that collar; heaven knows that there’s enough hatred in the world without you hating yourself when you're faced with a brand of magic specifically designed to make Monsters cow in submission…”

She took a breath, but nodded slowly.

“And that means there’s nothing to forgive,” You smiled up at her.

Undyne froze, staring down at you, “Damn...Sans was right…”

A blush overtook your face at the mention of the skeleton, and then burned brighter when you realized that he’d been talking about you.

“O-oh? Wh...what did he say?”

The fish woman blinked before smirking, her sharp teeth glinting, “Why you wanna know, punk?”

“N...No reason,” You sputtered, turning around to finish fixing the comforter.

“Holy hell, you _like_ that punny skeleton, don’t you?”

You blushed harder; how could she handle changing topics that quickly? You were still trying to handle the whiplash.

“S...so what?” You almost squeaked, only turning your head just enough to see her out of your eye.

Undyne cackled, but didn’t seem to want to say anymore. That made you more than curious; you wanted to know what exactly Undyne found so funny about you having small, miniscule, tiny, microscopic, teensy-weensy, mini crush on Sans.

You blushed hard enough that you started to feel dizzy.

Neither you nor Undyne noticed the flustered shadow backing away from the door quickly and quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~I'm a whore for comments~~ Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)


	10. Fluff!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> So, first things in order: Thank you to all my reviewers, but in particular, I wanted to give a shout-out to YamiBaki, Galactic_Wayfarer, and FaerieMayden; I've seen your names pop up so many times, I feel like you might actually be fans of mine :3 Thank you, you're all so lovely and kind!
> 
> Second order of business~! User The_Pocket_Llama asked a fair question: since I've already marked this story with the **Rape/Non-con** tag, would I still be giving a trigger warning at the beginning of each chapter that it appears in.
> 
> The answer, of course, is that I will do my very best to remember to give you lovelies a warning during those chapters. I understand triggers, and a few in particular can get to me pretty badly, so I will promise to do my best to remember to give a noticeable warning in the beginning notes before the chapter starts. These warnings will be **Bolded and Underlined** so that you lovelies will notice them!
> 
> Thirdly, I decided that this chapter should be pure fluff and less plot--I tried to keep to that, but it still got a little deeper than I would have liked...oh well~
> 
> After this chapter, I'm probably going to start hitting on the darker themes that would obviously surround a scenario like this, so please be aware that I will start trying to remember to post trigger warnings when they are needed!
> 
> Now, shoo~ Go enjoy the fluff!

Despite being up since around 2 in the morning, you didn’t feel particularly tired once bedtime settled in around the house.

Frisk was the first, though it was only by your insistence that they needed to go to sleep. Frisk tried to complain, but once the three Monster agreed that it was Frisk’s bedtime, they went without much more fuss. Sans basically disappeared at some point after you tucked Frisk in and you could only assume he’d gone to bed. It wasn’t long after that Undyne and Alphys made their way upstairs, but you hesitated.

Normally, you’d head to bed with Frisk and prepare for an early morning, but the idea of going up to bed almost had you feeling...anxious? You’d never felt this way before; nightmares had never caused any problems for you growing up, even having faced some bad times. Now, though...why couldn’t you remember that dream from last night? And since you couldn’t even remember it, why was it freaking you out like this?

You glanced down at your hands as you brewed some sleepy-time tea--in the hopes it would help settle you--and saw your hands trembling. Just the idea of crawling into bed was making a deep unsettling pit appear in your stomach.

What could possibly be wrong with you?

You sighed and drank your tea slowly while you sat at the breakfast bar behind the island in the middle of the kitchen. Everything had changed so much in the past month--Frisk was finally in your custody, Sans had come into your life, and now Undyne and Alphys were there to stay. Maybe your nerves were just because of the recent changes and the fact that yesterday you’d almost died.

Yeah, that had to be it.

Deciding that the mug could wait to be cleaned until morning, seeing as it was almost 1:30 am, you turned off the light and headed up the stairs.

You froze just before you opened the door to your room when you heard a strangled cry come from down the hall. Your stomach dropped to your knees, making them start to shake. A tight lump formed in your throat and your first thought was to check on Frisk.

Part of you was reprimanding yourself for reacting so strongly to what was most likely a nightmare, but it had caught you so off guard and sounded so...helpless. You forced yourself not to run as you headed for the end of the hallway, and peeked into Frisk’s room. You silently thanked the child for their obsession with that nightlight, though it didn’t reveal anything out of the ordinary.

Frisk’s form was still, their steady breathing indicated by the slow rise and fall of deep sleep. You were relieved, but confused. You were sure you heard something; had it come from out front?

You quietly closed Frisk’s door and turned to your left to look out the window at the end of the hall, the one that faced the driveway and the street past it. Still, you saw the night was quiet and your street almost looked deserted. No lights were on in any other houses, though a few had left their porch lights on. Everything was still and quiet outside.

So, where-

You froze when you heard a loud THMP coming from behind you, and you spun in place to look down the dark hallway. There was no one out here with you, but you almost immediately knew where that noise had come from.

Sans’s room.

The lump in your throat finally loosened, but you approached the door slowly regardless. The fact was, it still felt a little intrusive for you to want to check up on him--he was a grown adult, after all--and you reasoned, if he had trouble sleeping he would do what he always did: go downstairs and relax outside for however long it took for him to get back to bed.

Except, you realized, wasn’t it a norm for him just to _not_ go back to sleep? He caught naps over the course of the day, and never for very long. Was he avoiding sleep as long as possible? He had disappeared around 11, but there was no way he’d gotten enough sleep if he was waking up now, at nearly 2 am…

You held your breath and touched his doorknob--should you knock instead? What if he was still asleep and you were just hearing things? Would he be mad?

You pressed your lips together and tried to turn the knob silently.

It was locked.

Despite the knot of tension finally untwisting in your stomach, you felt your cheeks blush; Sans really did seem the type to lock his doors, didn’t he? You let out the breath that had gotten stuck in your throat before you turned, ready to lock yourself in your own room so you could scream into a pillow when you heard a groan coming through the door, this one sounding closer to a whine, desperate and terrified.

Before you could over think it, you reached up and knocked on his door.

You didn’t want to wake anyone else in the house, but you tried not to let yourself start to overthink now that you had already knocked on the door.

The noise behind the door stopped almost instantly, as if someone had turned it off with a switch. For a long moment--one that seemed to stretch on into eternity, you were sure--there was no sound or movement coming from behind the door.

“...Sans…?” You called through the door tentatively.

Another moment of silence and a part of you, the same part of you that always found your flaws and could give you every reason why you would fail at something, started to whisper. Who were you to try and pry? Sans was a big boy and probably didn’t want some human--a human who technically _owned him_ \--butting their nose in. You should just turn and walk away, quickly, before he opened the door to tell you the exact same thing. You were so stupid to think you could even understand what he was going through, let alone try to offer he-

Your thoughts were interrupted when the door swung inward and the darkness of the room took your vision. It took a second of adjusting before you could see Sans’s silhouette and his white pin-prick eyes in the darkness. You could barely make out that he was wearing some kind of loose tank top, making his rib cage more visible than usual.

“something the matter, pal?”

Sans’s voice sounded tired and flat, and all those nagging doubts came back to drag at the back of your mind. Still, you pushed on and answered him.

“I was just heading to bed, and...well...I thought I heard,” You stopped yourself and took a short breath before asking, “Are you ok, Sans?”

Sans ignored your question, “did you check on frisk?”

“I, what? Of course I did,” You glanced down the hall toward Frisk’s door before looking back at Sans, “They were sound asleep…”

You saw one of his bony hands come up to rub his face and you realized he was just deflecting, something you had been good at once upon a time.

“I’m not asking you to spill your guts to me,” He almost barked out a laugh at your wording and you had to force yourself not to smile, “I just...I was concerned, is all. Do you want tea?”

Tea was always your go to for solving problems. The time it took to brew was always good thinking time, and it always soothed nerves...You swallowed and waited for Sans to answer.

Taking a good look at him, you realized he looked _exhausted_ ; the glow of his eyes had dimmed and vanished, and the bags under his eyes were super pronounced and gave his skeletal face an even gaunter look. Could skeletons look pale? He looked pale.

You swallowed again and reached out to touched the arm of the hand that was still up near his face. He tensed from your touch, but you spoke before you could lose your nerve.

“Sans...come on, let's go downstairs,” You spoke gently; the last thing you wanted was for him to think he was being ordered to do this, and if he wanted to back out he could, but you knew that if he closed the door now and went back to ‘sleep’, you’d be up for the rest of the night worrying, “I promise, I don’t want to talk about whatever is bothering you; I’m just worried.”

You felt him relax under your touch and the glowing pinpricks of his eyes had returned finally.

“alright, alright,” You saw the corners of his mouth curve upward in a small smile, “you’ve convinced me, let's go down.”

You lead the way downstairs, ignoring the swarm of heavy butterflies that had taken residence in your stomach. Right now, you just wanted to get into the kitchen so you’d have something to do with your hands and so you could somehow pretend this was completely normal.

In the kitchen, you heard more than saw Sans take a chair at the breakfast bar and a quick glance told you he was sitting in the same chair you had been sitting in not even half an hour ago. You busied yourself with the same sleepy-time tea you had made for yourself, but while he waited, you went into the fridge to grab the bottle of ketchup and poured him a small glass of it.

Sans was having a hard time focusing; on you, or anything else for that matter. The nightmares, the ones that had blessedly been gone for the past two years, were back again. This time, they were worse. Much worse.

He already knew that they had to do with being back with Frisk. The kid was a double-edged sword, it seemed. Frisk always had a way of making things brighter around them; everyone found happiness when Frisk was, well, Frisk.

When they were Chara…

A chill and the nightmare flashed through his mind; blood, dust and tears, so thick it choked him. Papyrus, nothing left but a pile of ash and his scarf, that damned orange scarf that always threw him back into those moments of utter hopelessness, reminding him that it was only a matter of time before the kid got bored again, or stopped caring completely and just ended it all permanently-

He was brought out of the moment when he heard the clink of glass on the counter in front of him. His head snapped up and he first saw the glass of ketchup and then saw your smiling face. His soul wavered in his chest and he wanted to spill everything to that smile; he wanted to curl up against you and let that warmth cover every ache that plagued his mind, body, soul…

He swallowed thickly and immediately felt dread creep into his bones.

Here it came; you promised you wouldn’t ask, you said you were just worried, but here would come the questions he didn’t want to answer-

“So, my agent is planning on stopping by in a few days,” You suddenly said, almost making his fall out of his chair from the shock and relief, “He was interested in meeting Frisk and seemed interested in meeting a few Monsters too, since he has a strict ‘no owning living creatures’ deal with himself; he won’t even own a pet, it's kind of endearing…”

You turned away, focusing instead on finishing making the tea, “I had to explain to him that I didn’t want to own you guys, I was just trying to make Frisk happy.”

There was a pause from you and Sans realized it was so he could interject if he wanted; when he didn’t, you continued on without breaking your thought.

“Guy is kind of eccentric,” You admitted, a small smile on your face, “He refuses to wear suits and only wears polo shirts and kilts...something about his heritage being more important than his fashion sense...but I think you could learn to tolerate him, if not like him at least.”

“only tolerate?” Sans sounded amused.

“Well...he’s a strange cookie, and he’s not always everyone’s cup of tea,” You smiled at Sans as you held up the teacup you’d just finished preparing, “But it's one of the reasons I chose him; he’s very kind.”

“careful,” Sans drank the ketchup before teasing quietly, “you might make me jealous.”

Your cheeks burned, but you teased back, “Aww, don’t worry, Sans; you’ll always be my favorite skeleton.”

Sans hesitated at that, the blue dusting his cheeks again before he chuckled, “well, thanks pal.”

You both decided to move into the sitting room, where Sans could drink his tea and you could sit near each other on the plush couches. The couch you both chose faced the wide picture window that gave a view of the street and the front yard. The stars weren’t visible at this angle, but you couldn’t find any complaints as the warmth of Sans’s body started to seep into the left side of your body.

“so, what are you gunna do now?” Sans asked, though he didn't’ move his gaze from the window.

“What do you mean?”

“far as i can tell,” He shrugged, sipping his tea slowly, “you’re just about out of bedrooms.”

You shrugged, “I still have the finished attic upstairs; plus, there’s the basement. It might not be comfortable, and it's full of storage and whatnot, but there are a couple of rooms that were in the middle of being converted into-”

“this place has a basement?” Sans finally turned to look at you, the ridge above his eye raising.

“Oh, yeah,” You shrugged, “The stairs are hidden in the study, I can show you tomorrow.”

Sans put his mug down on a nearby table before settling back into the couch, “this place is pretty surprising; why’d your sister and him have a hidden basement?”

“Well, it’s not really hidden,” You laughed quietly, “You can see the windows from the street if you actually look; it's just, that, well, you can only reach it through the study.”

You shrugged and settled back next to him, “My brother-in-law did everything he could to make my sister happy; that included building a few quirks in the house that made her happy.”

“were they good to frisk?”

You glanced over at him and saw that the light in his eyes had dimmed a little--you thought from tiredness--before you nodded, “As far as I know, yes; I...well, wasn’t around very much. I was always working and trying to get published, but Frisk always was happy when I did come to visit.”

“hmm,” Sans’s voice was quiet, but you didn’t require more from him than that.

“Frisk has always been a good kid,” You continued, “They have this exceeding ability to give friendship to anyone they crossed paths with, even from a small age. They’ve always been a little charmer.”

You paused, feeling a weight on your shoulder. You turned and felt a blush slowly start to take over your face as you realized Sans had fallen asleep and was using your shoulder as his pillow.

“H..hey…” you felt your throat tighten, and it made your voice come out in a low whisper.

“‘mup, i’m up…” he mumbled, obviously half dreaming.

Well...you supposed this wasn’t so bad. You could let him sleep for a few minutes before you helped him up to bed.

You stared out the picture window, your face finally cooling as a smile appeared on your face. Despite the fact that this would be an embarrassing way to be found out, it was a position you rather enjoyed.

Without meaning to, your eyes started to droop and sleep took you before you could give another thought to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)


	11. From Today

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> So, first off! I'm sorry for missing the past two days of updates; Mondays in general are horrible days for me because I'm at beauty school from 9am to 9pm, and that's not including the 45 minute drive per direction. Yesterday doesn't really have an excuse, but I hope you peoples still love this work and I just wanted to say thank you to all my reviewers, viewers and kudo-givers~
> 
> This chapter leaves off in a bit of a cliffie, but don't worry, I'm back to my regular posting schedule~

“Shh! Shh!!”

A giggle started to pull you out of your sleep, and you felt your face scrunch up in response.

“Sh-she’s going t-to w-wake up! Shh!”

“I got it! I got the picture!” Undyne’s voice suddenly boomed in ear your head and you jumped, your eyes snapping open.

You were laying on the couch in the sitting room, your head and shoulders on the arm. You blearily glanced around and saw Undyne, Alphys and Frisk, all laughing and snickering quietly. You shifted, but something heavy and warm was on top of you. A blush overtook your face when you looked down.

Sans and you had somehow moved around on the couch, so that he was laying on top of you, his head pillowed by your chest, his arms around your waist and his body lying in between your legs. The skeleton hadn’t even moved or given any indication that he was bothered by all the noise.

The heat that you felt building in your face made you squeal and you heard the snapping of another photo.

“Undyne!” You tried not to let your voice get too loud, but you heard it raise in pitch, “What’re you...don’t-”

Frisk quickly took the camera and started snapping pictures quickly.

“Frisk!”

Your raised voice caused Sans to mumbled in his sleep and hold you tighter, making you squeak again, “Sans! I’m not a pillow! Frisk! Put the camera away!”

You were basically whining now.

Sans heard the commotion and held his pillow tighter...until the pillow complained.

He opened one eye blearily and blinked slowly when he saw Undyne, Alphy and Frisk laughing nearby, Frisk holding a camera and snapping pictures of him. What was so funny? And what was-

Whatever he was laying on moved, and he heard you whine before his head popped up. His face was less than a foot away from yours and he realized just what position the two of you were found in.

Undyne and Alphys were sure they’d never seen Sans move that fast before. He ended up on the opposite end of the couch, blue taking over his face much in the same way red was taking over yours.

You swallowed and glanced over at Sans, your stomach falling through your basement as you mustered up the courage to look. Sans, meanwhile, glanced over at you at the same time.

As soon as your eyes met, you both snorted and started to laugh.

“W-well,” you cleared your throat, still smiling, “I’m going to call it breakfast time…”

You stood and started for the kitchen, Undyne following you while snickering loudly.

~*~

After that, things settled for while in your house and you were happy to be free from the stress of it. You settled down for writing, each day working a little closer to your next deadline. Undyne and Alphys both opted to end their work with the University, but neither seemed to need much in the way of keeping busy. Undyne helped make general repairs around the house--something about being good at rebuilding her own home? You really didn’t want to ask after she mentioned something about a fire--and Alphys started tinkering with electronics that you didn’t care about.

Sans seemed content to laze about the house, though every now and then he would disappear for an hour or so. Anytime you asked where he went, he tended to get off subject or make a pun, so you stopped asking. The fact was that as long as he wasn’t doing something that would have the authorities at your door, you didn’t really want to pry into his business. You both still enjoyed the occasional late night together, usually spent outside or in the kitchen; it was almost an unspoken rule between the two of you that you both wouldn’t go back into the sitting room. It was still nice to sit and talk with the short skeleton, usually about jokes, but every now and then you’d hear about Papyrus, or about Snowden, where they lived before coming to the surface.

Frisk seemed happy and content, for a while at least.

Weeks went by and they were always laughing and signing with someone in the house. The second inspection came and went, with a glowing review from Thomas, who seemed even more pleased that you had ‘collected’ more Monsters. This made you unhappy, but you bit your tongue and let him say and think what he wanted. The fact was, you needed him in order to keep Frisk, and it wouldn’t do to test his patience any.

It was about two weeks after the second inspection that Frisk’s moods started to turn downward again. They started asking if you could find out how to find ‘mom’, and it took a little bit for you to remember that Frisk wasn’t walking about their birth mother, but rather the Monster named Toriel that Sans had mentioned before. You were still a little uneasy, hearing Frisk call someone other than your sister ‘mom’, but the fact was that you weren’t sure you wanted them to call you mom either; it felt like a sticky situation, one that didn’t really have a right answer.

Still, you didn’t say anything to Frisk about it; calling Toriel ‘mom’ made them happy, and you didn’t want to take that from the child.

The third inspection had come and gone by the time that you found anything to go on.

Lucky for you, you stumbled upon a government website that dealt with what they called the ‘Monster Registry’; it was a big fancy name for literally a list of known monsters and their last known locations. A chill hit your spine when you, out of curiosity, looked up Sans’s name and found your address listed. The same happened for both Undyne and Alphys, and for the first time you wondered just how closely Monsters were monitored.

In any event, it was nice to see that searching for a Monster was as easy as looking up a name. It seemed that while a few monster’s had similar names--’Froggit’ and ‘Whimsum’ were listed more than a few times--there was also a fair share of unique names that you could never have guessed would be real names.

Toriel was one of those names.

You froze as you read the information.

**ID Number: 85629596  
** Name: Toriel  
Last known address: 644 N. Camel Soot Dr.  
City: Valley City  
Status: MISSING--DECLARED DECEASED 

Your stomach dropped through the floor as you sat in the study, staring at your laptop. Fingers were frozen over the keys while your eyes read over the information, over and over, hoping you had made some mistake in the spelling, or you had clicked on the wrong Monster…

Nope, you hadn’t made a mistake. You swallowed hard and pressed your lips together. What were you going to tell Frisk?

Your mind drew a blank at that.

Were you really so useless that you couldn’t tell a child that someone was dead? Or was it that you cared too much? You swallowed again and put your face in your hands, trying to calm your nerves. You tried to ignore the fact that your hands were shaking.

Sans.

The name popped into your head almost as soon as you tried to retreat into your own head. While it wasn’t much easier of an idea to tell someone about their friend dying, you knew that Sans would understand the gravity of trying to tell Frisk.

You still swallowed and had to take a deep breath to prepare yourself. The last thing you wanted to do was hurt Sans or Frisk--or Undyne or Alphys either--but you also didn’t want to keep this from them. Toriel was always brought up in conversations, all four of your housemates mentioned her and had nothing but good things to say.

This wasn’t going to be easy.

You stood from your chair and moved into the hall. The combination of laughter and groaning you heard could only mean that Sans was telling puns in the living room, and you were right. The TV was on, but everyone was either holding their sides laughing, or covering their face from whatever pun Sans had just told. Sans himself had one eye lazily closed and a grin on his face as he surveyed his handiwork. His open eye traveled up to you as you appeared in the archway.

“hey, pal,” Sans’s smile seemed to get just a tad bit wider before he saw your face, “what’s up?”

The others didn’t seem to notice at first--Frisk was back to watching the TV, which was turned to Spongebob, Alphys was still shaking her head and Undyne was glancing over at Alphys--which you were grateful for.

You made a motion for him to come closer, and Sans shrugged in response; still, he stood and followed you down the hallway, while you both ignored Undyne’s cat calling.

“you’re starting to freak me out,” He chuckled, and you caught the nervous undertones of his jovial voice, “wanna let me in on what’s eatin you?”

You didn’t stop or answer until you both were in the study and the door was closed. After that, you let yourself take a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, Sans, this is just…” You paused and tried to find the right words, “This is just...hard.”

Sans didn’t answer you and just looked between your eyes, his shifting minutely as he did so.

“I promised Frisk I would find Toriel,” You started, glancing at your laptop, which hadn’t gone to sleep yet, “And I...I found this government page about the Monster Registry.”

You explained it slowly, but tried not to acknowledge it was because you were dreading your next words.

“I...I found out about Toriel,” You breathed, crossing your arms over your stomach, “The...the registry has her listed as d-dead….”

You had looked down at Sans’s feet at one point or another, but you glanced up now to see his reaction and shivered.

The lights in his eyes had died, and nothing but the dark abyss was staring back at you. You swallowed and felt your arms wrap a little tighter around you. Sans was one of those types of people who never let emotions get to them; but when they did, it was something that could--and did on occasion--send chills up your spine.

Sans gaped for a moment before his voice came out almost silently, “show me.”

Without hesitating, you moved toward your laptop, but didn’t sit in the seat as you made sure the webpage stayed open. Sans moved and sank into the chair, his shoulders sagging as he read the page you pulled up and showed him.

The skeleton swallowed almost audibly and then looked up at you.

“‘missing’ then ‘declared deceased’, huh?” His voice shook a little, “tori’s whole existence, reduced to those, pitiful meaningless words.”

“I...I’m sorry, Sans,” You breathed, “I wanted you to know, but I...I also have no idea what to tell Frisk…”

Sans hesitated before trying to get some of his thoughts together.

“why do you need my help with that?” Sans’s eye-sockets were still black.

“I...Sans, I didn’t know Toriel,” You looked down, “I don’t understand how close Frisk was to her, I mean, I could guess because they call her ‘mom’ and all that, but I….”

You paused, but Sans didn’t say anything to fill the void, so you pressed on, “I don’t want to say something wrong and hurt Frisk when this is already going to be like a punch to the gut for them.”

Sans was reminded of how much you really did care for the kid and ran a hand along his skull as he thought. How much was too much to tell Frisk? Would Frisk even understand the connotations of a ‘missing’ Monster was? Probably not, Sans didn’t even think Undyne or Alphys knew.

He felt a sigh leave him, but he nodded, “we’ll think of something, pal….alphys and undyne need to know, too.”

You nodded and held yourself loosely, “Should we tell them first…?”

The light finally returned to his eyes as he answered, “i’ll send frisk in here while i tell those two. then, i’ll come back here and help you out as best I can.”

You appreciated the support. Just having him to make a final decision when you felt so indecisive and lost was comforting and made you offer Sans a small smile.

“Thanks, Sans,” You whispered before watching him walk out of the study and down the hall.

Frisk came into the study not long after and looked confused, though they didn’t ask you anything just yet. For that you were grateful, but minutes dragged on slowly, and part of you wondered if Alphys and Undyne were taking the news hard. You swallowed and glanced down at Frisk; the child was staring out the study door, as if trying to listen to something from far away, though you knew that they wouldn’t be able to hear what was going on in the living room.

A wave of nerves overtook your stomach and you sank into your desk chair.

You motioned to Frisk, calling for them before pulling them into your lap and wrapping your arms tightly around them. The minutes passed and Sans finally came back, the light in his sockets gone again.

The look on his face made you realize that he couldn’t find any words, so you cleared your throat.

“Frisk…” You looked down at them while they sat in your lap, “Toriel is...I mean...I found out-”

Frisk was already signing.

Is Mom dead?

You froze and glanced at Sans, who’s head was lowered.

“...Yes,” You breathed, “I looked her up on the Registry,” You explained quietly, “She went missing, and now…”

Frisk tilted their head, almost curiously, Mom was missing? How do they knew she’s dead?

The small child was taking the news so well that you felt a chill go up your spine.

“They…” You had to pause and refocus your thoughts, “Whenever a Monster is reported as missing, the authorities wait for less than 24 hours and then...they use the collars to k-kill the Monster in question…”

Your voice broke, but you still looked down at Frisk in concern. When you glanced at Sans, he didn’t see surprised at all, by Frisk’s reaction.

Mom’s not dead, Frisk suddenly signed, Mom’s still alive.

You froze, but blinked slowly, “Frisk...I know you’re upset, but...that list was updated yesterday.” 

Frisk stared up at you, their eyes searching yours and you could feel that whatever Frisk was looking for, they didn’t find because they simply slid off of your lap and left the study without showing an ounce of emotion. 

“I...I totally fucked that up,” You breathed before your shoulder’s hunched. A sigh left you, and your hands came up to rest on your face, trying to control your emotions as they flood your being. 

“frisk is probably still trying to cope,” Sans said quietly, though he hadn’t moved from his place near the door, “it’s something hard to deal with, someone you see as a mother dying and all…” 

Sans sounded miserable, so you glanced at him before standing up and walking closer to him. 

“Sans,” You gently touched his shoulder, “You’re still trying to cope too…” 

He looked up at you--what a time to notice he was a few inches shorter than you--before nodding slowly, “i just...am gonna miss that old girl, is all.” 

You nodded, though both you and sans knew it meant that you were trying to be sympathetic. 

You swallowed and started to lead him from the study, fully ignoring your laptop for now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)


	12. Distractions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heya~
> 
> Alright, so, Fair Warning! I will be out of town starting from Saturday May 21-Sunday May 23. I will do my best to post, but I don't have a working laptop, so any writing I do will have to be done on my crappy little phone, which doesn't run without being attaching to the wall....
> 
> SO ANYWAY
> 
> I hope you all like this chapter! YOU ARE ALL WONDERFUL PEOPLE AND THANK YOU FOR BREAKING 50 REVIEWS!! YOU GUYS ROCK!

School started only a couple of days after the house found out about Toriel. You had tried to keep things normal, for Frisk at least. It was more than obvious that your attempts weren’t doing much good, but you didn’t know how else to handle it.

Undyne and Alphys found comfort in each other, so you at least knew they would be ok, but Sans and Frisk...they seemed to distance themselves from each other and from you since the news. Sans didn’t joke very much, and you could guess that you wouldn’t find him outside or in the kitchen for a late night--you’d checked last night when you were finishing up some paperwork for Frisk’s education. Frisk…

They didn’t seem to want to communicate. At all. They didn’t hardly sign anymore, even when you spoke to them directly; they would look at you for long moments of silence and only answered if you pressed them. It was a constant struggle now. On top of that, you got the distinct feeling that Frisk blamed you, though you couldn’t even begin to fathom how Toriel’s death could be your fault.

You took a deep breath and glanced over at the passenger’s side of the car. Frisk was sitting there in their seatbelt, with their backpack in their lap and their eyes turned to look out the window. The school had asked you drop Frisk off about 30 minutes early for the first day and even offered other ways for them to get to school, but you declined those. You wanted to support Frisk and the fact was that spending time with them was important to you, even if they were unhappy and didn’t want to talk to you.

“Frisk,” You tried quietly, “I...I hope you’ll be ok at school; I know you’re still upset over Toriel-”

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Frisk make the sign for ‘mom’ and you hesitated before continuing.

“-but maybe this will be a good distraction...you know, something that will make you forget for a little while…”

You winced and backpedaled, “N-not forget her! I meant, forget the pain.”

You sighed when you saw that Frisk wasn’t responding to your words at all. A small ball of doubt and worry hit your stomach hard enough that you ended up dropping below the speed limit until you saw cars going around you and making unkind hand signals as they passed you.

The car pulled up besides the area labeled ‘Drop Off’, but before Frisk could open their door, you reached over and gently touched their shoulder.

“Frisk,” You said it quietly, “I really am sorry about To...Y-your mom; I can tell you loved her very much and this must be the hardest thing you’ve had to deal with. I can’t say I know her well enough to be hurting like you and the others are, but I love you, and I’m hurting because you're hurting, honey.”

Frisk didn’t move or even acknowledge you said anything for so long that you finally pulled your hand back and pressed your lips together. Frisk took this as a sign they could go and started to slide out.

“H...have a good day,” You managed to choke out before Frisk closed the door and hurried into the building.

You had to take a moment to keep yourself from crying in the car while kids were walking by and slowly making their way into the building. A grunt left you as you tried to clear your throat of the lump that had formed there and then you pulled away from the curb.

Home at least offered distraction for you. Undyne and Alphys were talking to each other in the sitting room and you offered both of them a small smile as you closed the door behind you. You wanted coffee and something fattening. It probably wasn’t a good idea to eat while upset, but you couldn’t find it in yourself to care at the moment.

You weren’t quite sure what you were craving until you entered the kitchen and let your eyes fall on the oven.

Cookies.

You wanted to bake cookies and take your mind off of everything for a little while. That would stop the tears that were trying to form in your eyes. At least, you hoped it would. You hadn’t made cookies from scratch in years, but you pulled out your phone and soon, with a recipe glowing on the small screen, you were preheating the oven and pulling out all the ingredients you’d need for a large batch of peanut butter and chocolate chunk cookies that would hopefully put you in a food coma.

It was sometimes during the mixing process that you let yourself fall into your own thoughts.

The more and more you dwelled on it, the more convinced you were that Frisk blamed you. Toriel’s death had been a shock to you, but when you had revisited the list later the same night--vainly hoping the list would update and Toriel’s status would change--you noticed just how many Monsters were listed at ‘MISSING--DECLARED DECEASED’.

It felt like nearly one out of five or ten and those odds were chilling. So many Monsters, run away because their lives had turned to hell and without warning, their collar would go off and they’d turn to dust. The thought turned your stomach and made you mix faster.

You pulled out a few cookie sheets and covered them with wax paper and then sprayed them with butter.

Sans had already known about what happened to Monsters that ran away; did all of them? Were there still Monsters running because they thought they’d be safe? Was there any way to get word out? A part of you--the part that felt so strongly about the injustice of enslaving Monsters--wanted to figure out a way to make sure those deaths weren’t in vain, that no other Monster ran away without knowing what they were choosing…

Then Frisk ran across your mind.

If you did anything overt like that, there was a real risk that CPS would take Frisk from you. Then, they’d be with a new family, one who probably didn’t understand what Frisk wanted or needed. Maybe a new family that would force Frisk to wear dresses, or start forcing them to wear makeup, or to like boys, or-

You swallowed hard and felt one of the cookie sheets slip out of your hand and back onto the counter with a clatter that made you jump. You sighed and rubbed your face, glaring down at your hand when you felt some kind of oily substance come off onto your face.

“Yuck…” You sighed, turning to the sink to wash your face, drying it with a paper towel before you turned to go back to making the cookies.

You jumped and almost tripped over air when you saw Sans sitting at the breakfast bar, his eyes watching you closely though his body language displayed a lazy calm.

“Sans!” You breathed, putting a hand to your chest before you offered him a sheepish smile, “You startled me.”

“i can see that,” He chuckled, his eyes drifting to the counter in between the both of you, “watcha cook-ie-ing?”

You snorted and laughed quietly before shaking your head, “I think I’m going to deem that the worst pun as of today.”

“fair enough, i’ll let you dough it,” He closed one eye in a lazy wink, before the corners of his eternal grin dropped a little, “are you doing ok? undyne mentioned you looked upset after you dropped frisk off at school.”

You pressed your lips together and dropped your eyes so that you were staring at the mess of cookie dough and prep work. A sigh left your lips as you stepped forward and started to roll dough balls between your palms before you lined them up on the first cookie sheet.

“Frisk...is very upset with me,” You said slowly, “I think.”

“you think?” Sans raised a bony brow in question.

“They won’t talk to me, Sans,” You almost whined, “And I just have this...feeling, that they blame me for Toriel’s death…”

Sans perked up at that, “blame you? c’mon, frisk is a smarter kid than that.”

You shook your head, “This doesn’t have anything to do with smarts, Sans; Frisk saw this woman at the same level as a mother and without warning, they were told she’s dead and gone. I...I think I know why Frisk is so angry with me, but I…”

A sigh escaped your lips and you turned around to shove the first tray of cookies into the oven before you set a timer and turned to prepare the second tray.

“don’t stop there,” He said, after there was a pause that lasted a few cookie dough balls long.

“Frisk wanted me to look for all of their friends,” You said quietly, “After we sort of stumbled upon you, Frisk was adamant that I find all the rest of your group and move them into the house; I’ll admit, I’ve been sort of dragging my feet. I have plenty of excuses, but the fact was...I just…”

You sighed again and rubbed the back of your hand against your forehead.

“I can’t let anything risk having Frisk get taken away,” You said, finally looking up at him, “I...I can’t let that happen, they’re the most important person in my life.”

Sans was staring right into your eyes, and you felt yourself blush after a moment and you looked down again and started to roll more cookie dough balls. Sans, despite the small amount of annoyance that pricked his heart over you admitting you were being willingly inactive couldn’t bring himself to blame you.

Wouldn’t he be the same way with Papyrus? Wouldn’t Undyne be the same way with Alphys?

“i hear ya,” Sans settled again, his voice a little quieter than before, “frisk is pretty lucky you’re their guardian.”

“I don’t really feel all that guardian-y,” You huffed, crossing your arms loosely over your stomach, “I feel like a kid myself, trying to figure this shit out as I go; not exactly parenting material, as far as I can tell.”

Sans shrugged, “well, i can tell you that you aren’t doing half bad; i had to raise my baby bro and it was basically the same for me, you know? You just gotta fake it til you bake it.”

You blinked as he said it before you broke down laughing, “O-ok, that makes up for the horrible one from earlier.”

“i never stay in the doghouse long,” He puffed out his chest proudly, “no bones about it.”

You snorted unattractively before you turned to turn off the oven timer and switched one tray for the other. The hot cookies were put on the stove to cool and you turned back to smile at Sans.

“I am glad you’re at least talking to me again,” You said it quietly, almost shyly.

Sans blinked before looking sheepish, “sorry ‘bout that; tori was...well...i hoped at one point we’d be more than just friends and all, but then everything went to hell and...yeah.”

You felt like ice hit your stomach, but you still forced yourself to nod slowly, “Then it felt like everything dropped out from under you, yeah?”

“something like that.”

The ice in your stomach melted a little at the look on Sans’s face. The lights had disappeared from his sockets and the never-ending grin on his face was merely a show of teeth. Your pressed your lips together before walking around the island slowly and reaching out to touch his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” You said it quietly, “I...well, as strange as it seems, I know how that sort of thing feels.”

Sans turned his head to look at you and you found you couldn’t look him in the eye, “it happened a long time ago, and i really don’t want to make this about me; i just want you to know that you can talk to me, if you need to.”

There was a moment of silence and you offered Sans an empathetic smile before you turned and walked back around toward the oven. There was still a few minutes, but you needed a moment to calm down the flush on your face. Even when he was upset and sad, you couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was--how do you even be attracted to a skeleton?--and the feeling of warmth flowing into your fingers from where you touched him made your heart stutter a little. You could forgive yourself for feeling this at an inappropriate time, if only because you couldn’t control those kinds of reactions. They just, happened.

Undyne and Alphys chose that moment to walk into the kitchen, no doubt drawn in by the smell of cookies and you were happy to pass cookies around once they were cool enough. The smile slowly returned to Sans’s face as you, Undyne and Alphys started to take turns trying to come up with dumb cookie puns and other such nonsense.

It was a warm atmosphere and not just because you had the oven on; Alphys and Undyne were genuinely trying to cheer Sans up, and you wanted to help; and Sans finally seemed like he was ready to allow himself to be cheered up, which was a comfort to you.

You felt like this distraction was definitely needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)


	13. Conviction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Okay, so, confession time.
> 
> I got a review very recently (I'm sure anyone interested can go look, you'll know which one I'm talking about lol) that, let me be honest, took a little bit of wind out of my sails; don't misunderstand, everything the review stated was fair and I always appreciate constructive criticism, but this was....well, different.
> 
> The fact was, they called me out on a couple of scenes (and more than a few characters, if I'm being honest) that I basically lazed my way through because I was working on my story usually after midnight because of my school schedule, so exhaustion took hold and I let myself get lazy. Nobody likes to be called on their own BS, so I took it pretty hard after I read the review (I even put off updating for a whole day because I was pouting and wallowing in self-doubt), but it made me come to an important (at least, I think it is) decision.
> 
> I am making a promise, right now to each and every reader, kudo-giver, and reviewer: I will never allow myself to get lazy when telling you all a story. No matter how hard it is to write, or how long it takes me, or even how much it hurts me to write, I will always post the truth of the story.
> 
> That being said, I don't have any current plans to go back and fix said characters or scenes (sorry reviewer!), simply because it may change the course of the story or would put me off from writing new chapters, so this promise is for all chapters after this, lol
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL AND I HOPE YOU ALL KEEP ENJOYING THIS!

With Frisk gone to school everyday during the week, you found--to your happiness--that it was easy to be around the three Monsters that lived in your house. Well, you already knew you could get along with Sans, but Alphys and Undyne were a little slower in becoming friends; it wasn’t the same as with Sans--who simply refused to trust you because of everything that had happened up to meeting you.

For Alphys, it was her shyness, which also manifested as anxiety; there were times she couldn’t even speak to you without Undyne or Sans present. Even when she was calm enough to speak to you alone, it was short moments that usually ended with Alphys too flustered to stay nearby. Now that Alphys had been there for a few months, she had started to calm down and you had gotten better about figuring out her triggers.

As for Undyne, it was pretty simple. The taller woman simply would rather spend her time training, or being with Alphys.

Not that you blamed her; you preferred Sans’s company because of your own crush. It just felt strange to have two people living in your house that you felt you hardly knew. But without Frisk as a buffer, you found both monsters were still pleasant and kind.

Undyne, you were happy to find out, had no objections to you watching her train.

Training, it turned out, was exactly how it sounded: Undyne used your backyard as a playground, running, jumping, push-ups, sit-ups, even magic training. It was spectacular to see her bright blue spears flying around, especially now that they weren't pointed at you.

Sans had taken a seat next to you at some point while Undyne trained.

“So,” You glanced at Sans, “I never got around to asking, but what exactly happened in that classroom?”

Sans opened one eye to look at you, “you mean the green shield that appeared?”

“Well, that too,” You nodded, “But all those hearts that appeared; those were our Souls, right?”

Sans nodded, “yeah, those were souls; never seen yours before?”

You shook your head, “No, I haven't. I’ve always been curious, but I didn’t know any Monsters to ask about it before.”

“makes sense,” Sans answered, “what do you wanna know, pal?”

“What was going on with the colors? Frisk has such a bright red and mine was yellow, but it wasn’t very bright,” Your eyes were on Undyne as you asked but you looked back at Sans while you waited for his answer.

Sans thought about it a moment before he answered, “well, the color represents the trait you most strongly exhibit. Frisk’s is determination, and yours is justice.”

“Justice, huh?”

“yup,” Sans stretched before continuing, “as for the brightness, that mostly has to do with how strong the trait is, but it could also indicate how strong your soul is, “

You ‘hmm’ed, glancing at Undyne as she did a backflip, throwing her spear at some imagined opponent. The strength of your soul, huh? That almost made you wish you knew what your soul looked like before Jeffery…

You hesitated as the name popped into your head, but you still pushed on, “So what _was_ that green shield-thingy?”

“a type of magic that Undyne exudes,” Sans said, “different colors act differently for magic. actively, green magic can heal; defensively, green magic acts as a shield. there are rules to it, like all magic; for the shield to work, you can’t back down, in body or soul.”

You swallowed, ”So, if I hesitated...?”

Sans shook his head, “no, hesitation is different; if you had backed down, tried to run, that would have been what would have made the shield disappear.”

You were watching Undyne again; her spears were made of pure energy and it made sense that only magic would be able to stop them, but you still had to force yourself not to imagine how they might feel flying through you. You felt a chill go down your spine and you shivered.

“you ok, buddy?” Sans touched your shoulder.

You nodded, “Yeah, just...trying not to think how close it was to being all over.”

Sans watched you for a moment before he spoke again, “tibia honest, pal i’m not surprised you came out unscathed.”

You blinked at him, “What do you mean?”

“frisk was in danger; you weren’t going to let the kiddo down,” Sans shrugged, as if it was obvious.

You opened your mouth to question him, but Undyne made a squealing noise making your head snap toward her expecting to see her injured.

What you didn’t expect was to see Undyne flinging herself into a _gigantic_ Monster’s arms. The Monster in question was all white and positively the largest Monster you had ever seen. He vaguely reminded you of a goat, with large horns that extended up off of his head for at least a foot. He wore what looked like a huge tarp, fashioned into what looked like a traveling cloak. You didn’t recognize him at all, but you froze when Sans spoke.

“asgore?” Sans said quietly, sounding surprised.

Your head whipped around to gape at Sans.

“ _What?!_ ” You hissed before standing and moving toward the two Monsters laughing at their reunion; you would have thought it sweet, but considering who it was that Undyne was hugging, you quickly interrupted them, “We can’t stay out here; come inside, please.”

You tried not to sound too rude, but your eyes were on the windows of the neighbors on either side of you. You didn’t see anyone spying, but it would only take one person recognizing him…

“You are right,” Asgore’s voice was a deep baritone that you could feel in your chest as he spoke, “Come.”

Asgore was a name that was thrown into every person’s face at every turn; he was the first Monster to openly rebel and break free of his bondage based solely on the strength of his soul alone, supposedly. You didn’t know enough about the Monster Collars to know if it was true or not, but the fact that you were now inviting a sworn enemy of the government into your house as if he’d been invited to tea….You prayed no one saw you trying to get Asgore into your house discreetly.

You lead the three inside before drawing your blinds closed in the kitchen, and then moving to nearby windows and drawing their blinds closed as well. Sans watched you while Alphys greeted Asgore. You wrung your hands nervously, looking from Asgore to the windows and doors.

“I...I don’t want to be rude,” You finally interrupted Undyne, Alphys and Asgore’s reunion, “But why are you here?”

Asgore’s happy face fell a little as he observed you, and his voice dropped to a more somber tone when he spoke.

“I apologize for intruding,” Asgore inclined his head respectfully, “I can tell you know who I am, so I will be brief.”

You wrapped your arms around yourself in a hugging motion as you waited for Asgore to continue. Sans, on the other hand, felt the first prickles of frustration grow in his chest. Here’s where he would find out that you talked all those pretty words about believing in Monster freedom, but now you could act, or at least keep your convictions and you were folding like a wet paper towel.

“I am sure you are aware,” Asgore started, “I am currently in charge of a group of resistance that is working against the enslavement of my people; those of my group who have been keeping an eye on Frisk report that you can be trusted and have a soul that may be willing to help us.”

Your blood ran cold before you answered.

“There’s no way,” You said firmly, ignoring the shocked looks of Undyne and Alphys and refusing to meet Sans’s face for fear of his reaction, “If I get caught, hell, if anyone even _suspects_ that I’m helping you, Frisk is gone; I’ll lose custody of them!”

You paused, but crossed your arms tighter, “You should already know that, though; so why would you come anyway?”

Asgore’s face had fallen as you spoke, but still answered, “You may see it on the news today or tomorrow, but an important hideout of ours was found out and raided. More than a few of our number was killed, more were recaptured and enslaved again. Our human allies were jailed.”

“Why here,” Your voice dropped as you swallowed, “Why would you want to endanger Frisk?”

“Hope,” Asgore rumbled quietly, his voice a pillar of strength, despite its volume, “Hope that our cause isn’t lost and our morale forever shattered.”

The way he spoke was almost dramatic, but the look on his face was enough to convince you he believed every word. Before you could answer, he spoke again.

“Hope that our fate does not lead us back to the Underground, and that our freedom is not forever lost.”

That made your soul quiver and the injustice of the situation actually made you feel sick to your stomach. You almost couldn’t answer.

Undyne, Alphys and Sans all glanced at each other. Sans felt his frustration grow into anger, his eyes studying your unsure frame; while you looked a little sick, Sans couldn’t help but feel a little betrayed. You weren’t going to do anything.

When you couldn’t answer, Asgore sighed and nodded, “I understand; Frisk’s safety is a lot to ask for.”

He turned as if to prepare to leave and Sans felt the cool burn in his chest as he admitted he knew where you were coming from.

“Wait,” You said weakly, holding yourself tighter, “Wait, I can’t…”

You sighed and rubbed your face with both hands, “I can’t...I can’t _not_ help...I just...Frisk means more to me than anything. Please, know that I won’t lost them over this, but if you understand that, then I have an attic and a basement with a secret entrance that you can use.”

You couldn’t believe you were doing this. More than Frisk getting taken away, you could end up in prison. Still, your soul felt instantly at ease as Asgore’s face relaxed into a grateful smile.

“I give you my word that we will not allow Frisk to come to any harm,” Asgore bowed deeply to you and you blushed at the gesture.

“Just...can you wait until nightfall before you leave?”

“Of course,” Asgore agreed.

You offered him a drink--which he took--and food--which he declined--before you excused yourself into the study, closing the door behind you. You leaned against it covering your face with both hands.

What had you agreed to?

“heya.”

You squeaked, sliding down the door a little in surprise as you noticed Sans leaning against your desk. Had he been waiting in here?

“Sans?” You swallowed, watching his face and taking note that his sockets were pitch black.

“is this a game to you?”

There wasn't a readable tone in his voice as he asked. In all honesty, Sans probably understood your protectiveness of Frisk better than anyone--he had always been the same way with Papyrus. Now, though...the hope of freedoms was closer than it had ever been, and he couldn't let you walk away with some widget-washy half promise. Not without saying _something_.

You felt a chill and pushed yourself off of the door, “You know I don't think that's way.”

“then why all the pushback? Not even a week ago you and i were talking about ideals and how we don't have to live in a perfect world for Monsters to live free.”

“You know the answer to that,” You moved closer, “Frisk can't go to another home.”

“you know better than anyone that the kid would have wanted you to help, would have _begged_ you to give asgore the help,” Sams bit, “stop hiding behind them.”

Your eyes narrowed, “I'm not hiding behind anything!”

“Then stop acting like you're indecisive,” Sans snapped, his fists clenching at his sides, “you're constantly saying you think our plight is terrible, but when push comes to shove you won't _do_ anything; all talk, no bite.”

That accusation hit you harder than you wanted to admit. Even before you knew Frisk was still alive, you always held yourself back from protesting Monster enslavement, especially after seeing how hard the government came down on protesters . On top of that, a heavy dose of apathy, fear of repercussion, even momentary lapses of conviction kept you from acting, from speaking out. The truth of his accusation made you press your lips together and a wave of guilt overwhelmed you and your head dropped to your chest while you sank into the desk chair.

Sans saw how hard he hit that last nerve and let out a quiet sigh, deflating his annoyance with a breath.

“Sans,” You pleaded, “I can't lose Frisk; I made a promise and I can't…”

A hiccup left you and tears burned your eyes; you were just glad that Sans couldn't see your face. You swallowed to keep your voice even and continued, “Please, I'm not hiding, I just…”

Even his anger was no match for your broken voice and he felt it evaporate as you pleaded weakly with him. Your hunched form in the chair--your face hidden by both the downward tilt of your chin and your hair--trembled slightly and he could imagine those hidden tears slipping down your face. It called to him, making him feel protective of you and the last of his frustrations faded with that image.

You felt his hand rest on top of your head and you looked up at him. Tears had gathered in your eyes, but you refused to let them fall.

“don't worry, pal,” Sans said quietly, “frisk won't be taken; you've got three monsters in the house who'd never let that happen.”

A watery smile appeared on your face as his hand moved to your shoulder, “It’s just a hard situation...and I feel so fake now; I've talked such a big game to you and the others, but just thinking I might get caught and I caved…”

A single tear fell and you wiped it away quickly, feeling embarrassed.

“hey, you've got a good soul, buddy,” Sans’s voice was a little louder, “i’ve seen it, undyne’s seen it, hell, even frisk could see that you're a good person.”

His words made you blush and you sputtered a small ‘thank you’, a bashful smile on your face.

That smile set Sans at ease, and his hand dropped to his side where he stretched his fingers discreetly; they were warm and tingled from the memory of what your hair felt like. His eyes traced the curve of your smile and then your face. A lump formed in his throat, but you filled the silence for him.

“Please, don't let Frisk get too involved,” You but your lip--an action that fascinated and sent shivers through him in equal measures--as you spoke, “Frisk would be determined to be in the middle of all of this.”

Sans forced himself to focus long enough to nod, “course, i’ll keep an eye socket on the kid.”

You smiled up at him and he knew then that he had it _bad_ for you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)


	14. Darkness Ever Growing Darker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I love you all, first of all, I'm happy to see comments but I'm also thankful for the read count going up~ So just a shout-out to all you readers who haven't left a kudo, or review, or bookmark. Your reason is yours, and I'm just happy your here~
> 
> Anyone interested in seeing the playlist I listen to while I write? If so, leave a comment or give me an ask on my tumblr ([PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)). And, just for you lovelies to know, my ask is always open and I'm more likely to respond to them, simply because I don't always read my reviews every single day, mostly because I usually only have time for school, writing and my hubby~

You went to go pick up Frisk from school not long after the incident in the study and you simply informed them of a guest before you got home.

When Frisk saw it was Asgore, you could only blink when they launched themselves at Sagore, the sign for ‘dad’ thrown from their fingers carelessly. It didn’t hit you as hard as when Frisk called Toriel ‘mom’--maybe because you half-expected this, maybe because you’d never been particularly close to your late brother-in-law--but you still paused in the archway that lead into the kitchen to watch how gently Asgore handled Frisk, and how his rumbling voice took such a different tone. Almost instinctively, you could tell that Asgore was a father.

You hung up the car keys on the hook in the hall and made another discreet round to make sure all the blinds were closed. After that, you sat in the sitting room, out of sight of the Monsters and Frisk just so you could think for a moment. Three months and your life felt so uprooted; just when you thought the changes had stopped, another was thrown at you.

You leaned forward, resting your elbows on your knees and burying your face in your hands; all you wanted was to have time stop for a while. The sounds from the kitchen were excitable, though you could only really hear Undyne’s loud laughing and Asgore’s low rumble.

Sans, hyper aware of you because of what happened in the study, glanced at you when you didn’t follow Frisk into the kitchen, where all of the Monsters had gathered. He had to force himself not to follow or check on you,but he couldn’t stop himself from glancing through the two exits to the kitchen, hopeful to catch a glimpse of you.

“This place will be kept safe!” Undyne stood and put one foot on the chair she’d been sitting on, “I don’t care where we are, I’m still the Captain of the Royal Guard!”

Asgore chuckled, “Well, we will be glad for the help, but it will be some time before we can move many people here; a Monster by the name of Inker has figured out how to disable the Collars-”

“we wouldn’t be able to,” Sans cut in suddenly, knowing where Asgore was going and heading him off before Undyne could get carried away, “People already know we live here and we can’t risk any suspicion from it.”

Alphys nodded, “W-we said th-that F-Frisk’s safety i-is t-top priority…”

Undyne crossed her arms and nodded, “We won’t betray Frisk’s trust, or that nerd who worked so hard to get us together!”

Asgore looked from Sans, to Alphys and then Undyne; his eyes finally rested on Frisk, who was happily doing homework in his lap.

“You all have found a safe place to land,” The former king’s voice was thick with emotion, “I swear to each of you on my former crown, I will not let it fall.”

Frisk twisted to look up at Asgore, a smile on their face as they signed, Everything will by fine; my aunty is like a superhero!

Asgore chuckled and glanced at the time, “I do believe it is time for me to leave.”

Sans made sure the backyard was dark before he let Asgore out, alone; they didn’t want to attract attention with loud goodbyes.

“I will return soon,” Asgore rumbled as quietly as he could, “Under the cover of dark.”

“stay safe,” Sans nodded his head, but didn’t shut the door until Asgore had disappeared over the back wall.

“I hope he doesn’t mind I didn’t see him off,” Your voice was suddenly behind him and Sans tensed before glancing at you.

“asgore’s cut from a particular cloth,” Sans shrugged, “i doubt you not saying goodbye would _unravel_ him.”

You snorted and put a hand on his shoulder, unaware of his eyes flickering toward it, “I’m going to start dinner.”

He made a noise of ascent and turned to look back out into darkness before letting out a long quiet sigh.

Damn, he had it bad.

~*~

Frisk sat in their room, playing on the floor with small wooden building blocks. Their long legs spread out on either side of their small creation made the scene look a little comical, but their was a hush in their room that made you feel uncomfortable.

“Frisk,” You knocked on their open door once before entering; Frisk didn’t move to look at you, but raised on hand in greeting.

You only took three steps into their room before stopping, “I just wanted to let you know it was bedtime; tomorrow’s only a half-day, but I thought-”

You stopped when you noticed the small city they had built in front of them. It seemed so involved, you could almost see the small people using the streets, You were about to comment, but Frisk suddenly raised their first and brought it down mercilessly, smashing half of their small town.

A chill shot up your spine so fast, you felt goosebumps raise on your skin; your breath caught in your throat when you heard a childish giggle come from Frisk, “What...Frisk!”

_”Destroy it all.”_

You froze. The voice coming from Frisk was juvenile and cutesy, like someone trying too hard to be nice, “Frisk, what’s wrong…?”

The voice put you on edge and you slowly started to walk the edge of the room, simultaneously curious and dreading what you would see on Frisk’s face.

_”Nothing’s wrong, Aunty~”_

A pit opened up in your stomach at the tone of the voice, even as Frisk raised another fist and destroyed the rest of their small town. You nearly stumbled and stopped when Frisk began to sing, their voice high and childish.

**~One, Two, death’s coming for you~  
~Three, Four, you’ll hit the floor~**

As they sang, Frisk picked up a block and turned it over in their hands slowly. Your eyes darted to the block, but you realized it wasn’t a block anymore; it was a doll. A doll that looked like Sans.

You swallowed and started to take a few more slow steps to try and get around to see their face. You had to see it, there was something pulling you, driving you, to look at Frisk’s face.

**~Five, Six, drink a poison mix~  
~Seven, Eight, just accept your fate~**

Without warning, Frisk let out a dark laugh, high pitched and chilling, and you saw the flash of metal as they buried a knife into the doll.

A disembodied scream made you jump and cover your ears. Blood began to pour from the doll and you realized with a sick feeling that the scream belonged to Sans, as if he were the one stabbed.

**~Nine, Ten, I’ll _kill_ you again~**

You finally stopped when you could see Frisk’s face.

It was Frisk, happy and calm. But, it wasn’t Frisk. Their eyes, which were locked onto the bleeding doll, were blood red. Your mouth went dry as the _notFrisk_ started to speak again.

_”Let the world burn and the bodies fall; I just want to play and have a ball. Doesn’t that sound like fun, Aunty~?”_

You tried to jump forward--to do what, you weren’t sure--but the sickly sweet voice cut through you.

_”Stop~”_

Your body froze, and to your horror, you realized a Monster Collar was around your own neck.

“Frisk, Frisk, stop!” Your voice was thick with unshed tears, “Baby, please, this isn’t you-”

_”Just please kill yourself, Aunty~”_ There was a smile on Frisk’s face, a smile that was too wide, too unnatural to fit and your body started to tremble violently.

Your arm started to move on it's own and you almost screamed as you saw the knife in your hand. How…? Your mind went blank as you realized you couldn’t stop yourself. Your arm wasn’t listening to you anymore.

“N-no!” You choked before the knife slid across your throat.

~*~

You woke with a short scream, your arm--the arm that had been holding the knife in your dream--flew away from your body and slammed into the wall. The pain didn’t register as your eyes darted around the room. A shadow moved--most likely the tree outside--and you tried to jump out of bed, only to get your legs tangled in the sheets and you hit the ground with a loud ‘THMP’.

The air was knocked out of your lungs and escaped as a pitiful half-sob. The tune that Frisk-- _not Frisk, NOTFRISK_ \--sang played in your head almost lazily; you felt sick.

Sans wasn’t quite asleep when he heard your short scream and the bang against the wall. He jumped, nearly falling out of bed and the grogginess left him when he heard you fall our of your bed. He slipped out of his bed and into the hall. There was a moment when he hesitated outside your door, but he could hear your muffled sobs.

You didn’t hear your door open, or the sound of Sans’s bare feet, so when you felt someone sit next to you in the dark, you jumped and hiccuped before Sans spoke.

“shh...it's just me,” Sans’s low rumble near your ear set you at ease, but another quiet sob left you, “c’mon, it was a nightmare...c’mere.”

His heavy arms circled your shoulders and pulled you toward him. You resisted, but only until the warmth from his arm seeped into your skin.

“S-Sans,” You choked out his name before you buried your face into his bony shoulder, not feeling or caring about the uneven surface as a fresh wave of tears left your eyes.

He pulled you into his lap easily and his frame seemed to surround you when he wrapped his arms around you, like a warm security blanket. One hand drew small circles on your spine, while the other slowly ran through your hair. He didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need to. This, holding you tight enough to convince you that you wouldn’t fall apart. This was enough.

The tears eventually stopped, and your breathing was reigned under control. It was a quiet moment between the two of you, one you knew would be over once the silence was broken. Knowing this, you were reluctant to break the silence, and Sans seemed to sense this too.

Finally, Sans bit the bullet.

“you wanna talk about it?”

You bit your lip as you sat up in his lap, looking at his chest, “I...don’t remember most of it...but…”

Your hand moved up to your neck unconsciously. A part of you expected to find the Collar, the gash from the knife or both, but you just felt your smooth, clammy skin.

Sans, whose eyes could see through the dark fairly easily, glanced down at your hand when it moved and watched it start to tremble when you touched your neck. His hand covered yours and pulled it back, pressing it to his sternum when you unconsciously tried to pull away.

“it wasn’t real.”

His voice was so stern and clear, you were pulled from your dream and into stark focus on him. Your hand was warm, pressed between his hand and his chest, and your could feel a hum; not a quite a heartbeat, but you almost immediately knew the thrumming was his soul. You felt a flush on your face, but you nodded.

“it’s not real,” This time, his voice was gentler, “it was just a nightmare.”

“It’s not real,” You repeated after him and a swell of relief washed over you. Despite the vividness of your half-forgotten nightmare, you believed Sans and that alone calmed you.

His free hand came up to gently brush against your cheek, ridding it of any last remnants of tears, “this is real, right here.”

You nodded, your hand coming up to cover his hand on your face.

“say it for me, sweetheart,” He didn’t plead or demand.

“Th-this is real,” You choked on the new pet name, but it left a pleasant warmth in your stomach and eased the sick feeling there, “Right now is real.”

Sans nodded approvingly, though you could only vaguely see the outline of his head and the glow of his eyes. He started to pull his hands away and you swallowed thickly.

“D-don’t-”

You bit your lip to cut yourself off, but Sans paused, looking at your face. He could see the tear stains still tracked on your cheeks and the haunted look in your eyes. How many times had he seen that same look on his own face while looking in the mirror? Comforting you came naturally, he found, and hearing you try to stop him from leaving…

“what’s wrong?”

His voice coaxed the words out of you, “I don’t want to be alone…”

Your voice felt weak and the way he paused almost sent you running--between getting rejected by him and being awake, you’d much rather be in the kitchen, thank you very much--but Sans nodded.

“i’ll stay tonight.”

Your face burned, but you felt a small smile appear, “Thank you, Sans.”

Before you knew it, the both of you were in your bed and you pressed into his side timidly. His body was warm under the covers with you, and you were washed by his scent--a buzz of bitter magic overwashed by ketchup and old books. Between that and the way his arm circled your shoulders, you were able to settle yourself against him much easier, resting your head on his ribcage. It was firm and you could feel the space between his ribs through his shirt, but you found it was comfortable.

Sans himself was letting his senses explore you in much the same way you were doing to him. Your scent reminded him of warm tea and the shampoo that you used, which he couldn’t place the scent of, but encircled you always, and your body was soft underneath his touch. His fingers could feel the bone of your shoulder beneath the warm skin, but he dared not trace it no matter how curious. He felt you settle against him and he found his own brand of comfort knowing you were there.

His breathing and the thrum of his soul eased you slowly into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/). My ask is Open!


	15. Out in the Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I'm thinking of writing little drabbles for my tumblr, just little situationals. What do you guys think? Wanna give me ideas? Just leave an ask --> [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/)

You hadn’t opened the basement in a long time. In fact, thinking on it, you don’t think you had opened it since the first day you moved in after the accident. You felt eyes on your back as the rest of the house watched you. You moved to the bookcase on the right wall and reached for the decorative wooden box marked with intricate carvings. The way this shelf was kept, it didn’t look out of place at all; opening the box, you pressed a light switch at the bottom and let the box close while the bookcase swung forward, revealing a small stairwell that lead down to the right.

The group behind you gasped and you smiled. There was something about the Monsters’ awe that made you feel almost giddy. Frisk, home from their half-day, raced past you and you had to call out.

“Not that first switch, Frisk,” You stepped in after them to show them the correct switch,” This first one closes the door, the second locks it by cutting of the power; there, the third one turns on the lights.”

Frisk nodded quickly through your explanation and then flipped the third switch before racing down the stairs in all their exuberance.

“Be careful,” You called before Undyne walked past, with Alphys in tow.

“Don’t worry, nerd,” Undyne chuckled, “We’ll keep an eye on Frisk.”

You offered her a smile and a thank you, but you didn’t follow just yet. Basements always creeped you out, but there was something about an unused basement in your late sister and brother-in-law’s house that you now own because of their dying in an accident...You shuddered and nearly jumped when Sans spoke from behind you.

“you gonna join ‘em, buddy?”

Considering what you were just thinking about, and the way he phrased his question, _on top_ of the nightmare from last night...A chill ran up your spine and you offered a pout to Sans.

“I, uh...don’t particularly like basements,” you admitted quietly.

Sans blinked at you, but you saw the corners of his mouth twitch into a wider grin, “oh geez, pal; that’s rough. better not tell undyne, though: she might lock you down here to toughen you up.”

You swallowed and gave a hollow laugh, “Right, not telling Undyne...got it.”

Sans pat your back good-naturedly and stepped around you to go down the stairs. You swallowed again, wiping your sweaty palms on your skirt before following him down. The stairs let out into a small common area that was carpeted, and doors lined the walls; some were open, most were closed, but you could see that a lot of floor space was taken by boxes and old furniture.

Part of you wondered why your sister had let so much junk collect dust down here--you remembered her from your childhood and paused at the bottom of the stairs.

Alexia had always been a neat freak, and collected nothing. It sometimes felt as if she had no real emotional attachment to anything she owned, which baffled both you and your parents--all of you being compulsive hoarders--and never hesitated to throw away anything she deemed old or useless.

From what you could tell, she married someone who never threw _anything_ away. There were boxes that were old enough to be made more of duct tape than cardboard and furniture that was falling apart at the seams. You made your way around pile after pile of stuff, noticing that everyone was basically exploring on their own.

The only person you didn’t see was-

“heya.”

You jumped and tripped over something, letting out a pitiful squeak as Sans’s hand shot out to grab your arm, steadying you easily.

“S-Sans!” You hissed after you were steady on your feet again, “Please…”

You didn’t finish your sentence as you pressed a hand to your chest, trying to calm your heart. Sans simply gave you that selfsame wide grin.

“sorry, pal,” He shrugged, “just wanted to check on you; you seemed a little quiet.”

You narrowed your eyes a little, hearing something under his tone, but you dismissed it.

“Just,” You shrugged, “Looking, is all.”

He nodded in understanding and started to follow you as you made your way toward the closest room.

This one was a little less crowded, but the floor was the concrete of the foundation, and not finished like the main room. You saw a crib pushed into a corner and moved toward it, but your thoughts were on the skeleton who was alone in this room with you.

You woke this morning still pressed to his side, and to find him awake and waiting for you to wake up. He’d been in an understanding and almost jovial mood, but you’d thought you would die of embarrassment. He didn’t ask about your nightmare again--which you were grateful for; you couldn’t hardly remember any of it anymore, and trying to remember it only left you with a skittish, horrified feeling that made you feel displaced and shaky--and almost as soon as you had assured him that you were ok, he was gone.

Watching him walk out without a backwards glance stung and somehow left you feeling unsure. Your crush on him was growing, but he seemed the same level of interest in you--enough to be kind.

_sweetheart…_

The memory of the pet name made your face burn, and you glanced at Sans out of the corner of your eye. He was browsing through one of the boxes, mild interest on his face as she pulled a few items out, inspecting them slowly. Today, he was in long sweats with a blue stripe down the side, and a pullover hoodie that had a fuzzy lining in the hood. Just how did he make those kinds of clothes look so good?

Your eyes moved back to the crib in front of you and you absently picked through the stuffed animals stored there. It was strange, to be hyper aware of him like this. Things had gotten so relaxed between the two of you, and now you felt like you were on pins and needles.

You forced yourself to ignore him for a moment and decided maybe being in another room might help, but when you turned around, he was nowhere to be seen. Where…? You hadn’t heard him shuffle away, so how…?

Being alone in the room gave you a chill, so you moved toward the door.

“heya.”

A short scream left your mouth when you left the room and Sans was leaning against the doorway, that same smile and tone in his voice.

“Sans,” You heard the whine in your face and it made you blush.

“just checkin on ya, buddy,” Sans raised his eyebrows and lowered his lids in a way that made your breath catch in your throat.

Woah, that was sexy.

You swallowed and nodded dumbly, not able to find any words as you moved on to another room.

Twice more after that, Sans managed to catch you off guard and made you jump. Each time, he gave a reassuring answer, but his tone always gave him away. You weren’t sure your heart could take any more and you were ready to make your way upstairs for tea when you paused, noticing a small hallway next to the stairs that seemed to lead back and behind the staircase. You blinked, not remember seeing it before and so you made your way toward it, one hand reaching out to stay yourself as you stepped over a box as you entered the hallway.

You glanced back, but the others were distracted as you disappeared into the hallway. You peaked around the corner that lead behind the stairs and breathed a sigh of relief that you didn’t realize you’d been holding.

There was nothing. Literally nothing. This area of the basement was free of any items, but the light from the rest of the basement gave this place a calm indirect light. YOu found yourself smiling, even as you studied the spider webs that were thick in the corner.

“Hey, nerd!”

Undyne’s voice came from the main room behind you and you moved to meet up with them.

You were careful around the corners, but Sans wasn’t waiting to scare you again, so you stepped out, “What’s up, Undyne?”

“So, what’s the plan?”

You looked around and nodded, “Well, if we got rid of all of the broken furniture, that would give us room to maneuver...so after that, we can sort boxes.”

You knew it would take more than this weekend to clear the basement enough for Asgore to find it useful, but getting it started would be nice.

~*~

Monday came and you had to spend it writing in your room all day. You had tried to keep up your writing schedule during the weekend, but having this move through the study distracted you and made you feel guilty as Undyne, Alphys, Frisk and Sans--but mostly Undyne, who was racing back and forth as fast as she could and having a blast as far as you could tell--moved things from the basement to the curb to be picked up at the end of the day. Now that it was Monday and your deadline was midnight tonight--plus you had lost a whole weekend of writing--you were slightly panicking as you hurriedly wrote page after page of your next book, happy to know Alphys had volunteered to watch Frisk while you occasionally let Sans in to deliver tea and food.

You almost didn’t want to let him, seeing as your hair was a mess from you running your hands through it so often and you felt like a mess from stress.

Still, it was nice to feel his attention.

By the time you were done and emailing the manuscript, it was just turning to midnight, and all the weight that had piled on top of you over the course of the day finally fell off of you and you let out a long groan as you stretched your arms above your head.

Almost on cue, a knock came from your door, quiet because of the hour. You moved your laptop and opened the door after you got off of your bed. Your joints popped and your back felt sore, but you ignored it as you smiled at who was at the door.

“heya,” Sans offered a grin and held up a cup of tea with a simple, “didn’t know if you needed it, but better safe than sorry?”

“I’ll take it, but down in the kitchen,” You giggled quietly, “I don’t think I can stand to see my brother or bed for a long while.”

His grin widened and he nodded, “welp,that means bedtime for me.”

You felt your smile fall a little and an ache hit your chest.

“O-oh, yeah,” You held the mug with both of your hands and found yourself looking at your reflection in the tea as you spoke, “You’ve been practically babysitting me all day, you’re probably about as tired as I am--thank you, by the way, for everything.”

Sans saw the hesitation, but didn't’ let himself dwell on it. He couldn’t, or his resolve would crumble like a sand castle when the waves hit it.

“no problem, buddy,” He shrugged and shoved his hands in his jacket. Before you could say anything else, he turned and disappeared into his room.

You felt your throat go dry when you heard his door close. You were reeling from whiplash, and it stung your heart. All weekend, it felt like he was being more playful, was with you more, just _more_ , and now...every hope you had felt crushed and the burn behind your eyes told you how hurt your really felt. You swallowed and closed your door, not bothering to turn off the light as you headed downstairs.

Sans leaned against the inside of his door, looking down at the floor. Everything in him wanted to go back out and apologize, but he clenched his fists and refused. He liked you; he _really_ liked you, and if he let himself, he could see himself trying to start something with you.

But you _owned_ him.

The weight of it around his neck wouldn’t let him forget and it plagued every interaction with you. His hand unconsciously moved up to tug at the leather and metal band, a sigh leaving his mouth before he moved toward his bed.

He knew he’d never get to sleep anytime soon.

You drank your tea in the kitchen, vainly hoping that Sans would show up and hating yourself for it.

_He waited on you hand and foot, leave him be._

_Of course he’d prefer to go to bed, he hardly sleeps as it is._

_He lives here with you, why would he care to spend even more time with you?_

_Why would he like you? You’re boring, plain and he’s already called you out on your tendency to fold when things get hard._

Tears prickled at your eyes again and you gripped the mug in your hand tightly before you stood and dumped the rest of it into the sink, before you stood in the hall. You looked toward the stairs and felt yourself make a face at the thought of going back upstairs. Your study held no interest for you, the living room had never held any value to you.

You looked at the sliding glass that lead outside and hesitated. Outside would be calming, but Sans would probably end up outside with you. You weren’t sure if you even wanted to see him at this moment.

Well, if just now was any indication, he’d likely see you out there and wouldn’t come out. You felt like a bother to him, an inconvenience, someone he had to be polite to. A lump formed in your throat. Both him and Frisk seemed to act that way. Like you were holding them both back from something.

The air of the outside felt good against your skin. Summer was ending, and fall was starting to chill the nights with promises of colored leaves and watery sunrises. The camping chair was moved off to one side, mostly because you didn’t want to feel like you were being watched, but mostly because of Sans.

A curse left your mouth and you rubbed your face. All of you wanted to disappear, and not be the obvious vexation that you were to both Sans and Frisk. Maybe then, you could just stop feeling so bad. Maybe then you could stop feeling like you were bother him.

Tears prickled your eyes again and you slammed your hand onto your knee, trying to control yourself. The sting from your slap was easy to focus on, but no matter how you tried, you couldn’t ignore the tears that suddenly started to spill down your cheeks.

“N-no, s-stop!” You whispered angrily to yourself, reaching up and roughly wiping your tears with the heel of your palm.

“Just give up and stop crying,” You muttered to yourself, slouching in your chair, “No one cares, so just _stop_.”

A sob left your mouth and you covered your mouth with your other hand.

_Just leave them all alone, they’ll be happier._

You swallowed and pulled your legs up so that you could wrap your arms around them and bury your head in your jeans. You hated to feel so weak and so unsure.

Still, leaving the Monsters--and Frisk--alone, only letting yourself interact when there was a meal to cook, or to take Frisk to school...if it made them happy, wouldn’t that be worth it? A wave of loneliness took you and all you wanted to do was let the shadows swallow you….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	16. Withdrawn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I'm so thankful for all of you, really. I post my chapters and I always prepare myself for no comments or no kudos or even no new hits, and all of you end up here *blushies*
> 
> So, thank you all, it means so much to me~
> 
> And, just to let you all know, I do read all my comments; I may not respond for various reasons, but I read every single one, including responses to reviews.
> 
> I think you're all special, and feel free to drop my an ask on my tumblr, I'd love to get to know you guys~

It was almost too easy to hide in your bedroom, away from the others.

Using the excuse that you were giving up the study so that it could be used for free access to the basement, you moved your little workplace--which wasn’t much, just your laptop and your coaster--up to your bedroom. Your deadline had come and gone, but it wouldn’t be hard to explain that you were locked away writing so you could be ahead of the game once the editors started asking about your next manuscript.

The truth was, you spent a lot of time staring off into the void, your eyes entranced by nothing in particular as you tried not to think or feel. Both caused problems, and caused tears to burn your eyes. The week dragged on slowly, Tuesday melting into Wednesday, and Wednesday into Thursday.

It wasn’t until you heard Sans turn in for the night on Thursday at around midnight that you let yourself leave your room for any reason other than to use the bathroom or to cook.

The house was still, and you took a deep breath before moving toward the stairs and quietly padded down to the first floor. Silence was a comfort, if only because it promised you’d be alone, but it wasn’t until you got to the bottom of the stairs that you realized you weren’t alone.

The living room was the open archway to the left as you came down the stairs, and you glanced inside as you stepped off the last step. You froze when you saw Undyne staring through the archway at you from the couch.

“A-ah,” You made the quiet noise, but before you could think to say something, Undyne was pushing off of the couch.

“Hey, punk,” Undyne greeted, her normally boisterous voice was quiet and reserved--it was almost unnerving to hear the woman try to be so silent, “Can we talk?”

You wanted to tell her no and retreat back into your room, but that felt childish. Undyne wasn’t the one you were avoiding, after all.

“Yeah,” You finally said, making a motion toward the kitchen before turning to walk around the staircase and down the hall. The kitchen was clean--you didn’t clean it so you’d have to try to remember to ask Undyne who you should thank--and you noticed that Undyne walked past you and headed for the small table you kept in the kitchen as a breakfast spot; it didn’t make sense to you to use the formal dining room except for when you actually had guests over.

You busied yourself with making coffee, an unusual habit for you but you had nightmares almost every night this week so far--none of which you could remember, except for the overwhelming dread and knowing that Frisk was in the dream in some way. You hadn’t reacted as strongly as the time Sans had to come comfort you, which you were thankful. You weren’t even fully convinced he’d come to comfort you again anyway, but you didn’t want to bother him with it in any regard.

So now you were trying to stay awake.

After your coffee was brewed, you brought it to the breakfast table and sat across from Undyne, stirring the dark liquid as you watched her from across the table.

Undyne simply stared for a moment. She was curious to know why you were drinking caffeine so late, but at the end of it all, she figured it was your own business, not hers. That wasn’t why she wanted to talk to you, anyway.

“So, nerd,” Undyne crossed her arms loosely and leaned back into the chair, slumping in it comfortably, “Been, uh, ‘writing’ for three days, huh?”

Just from her tone, you understood that Undyne knew better. You didn’t want to lie, per say, but you already knew that you didn’t want to have this conversation.

“I guess you caught me,” You shrugged, leaning heavily onto your elbows, which rested on the table, staring down into your mug.

Undyne made a relieved sound, “Oh geez, I was expecting you to keep fibbin’ to me!” She chuckled, but paused before she started talking again.

“You and Sans have been acting like the two of you have broken up or something,” Undyne muttered this, though you could still hear her clearly, “I dunno how, you guys never actually _talked_ about both of your feelings…”

You raised an eyebrow, “Both of our feelings? Undyne, the man barely acknowledges me one moment and then acts like a flirty best friend the next; I mean, as far as I can tell he’s toying with me!”

You blurted it out in frustration, and then pressed your lips together and looked back down into your coffee cup.

Undyne blinked, glancing toward the door, unbeknownst to you, “Oh yeah? I dunno about all that; I just know that you’re head over heels, and Sans...well...he’s a mess, but he cares about you. More than he’s ever cared for anyone other than Paps, as far as I’ve seen.”

You snorted and drank a long gulp of coffee, ignoring the scald on your tongue in favor of rolling your eyes, “Yeah, that’s why he can’t seem to get away fast enough, right? Why are we even having this conversation, Undyne? This seems pretty random.”

You couldn’t keep looking her in the eye; instead, your hand came up to rub your face, trying to ward off the exhaustion that seemed to settle deep in your bones.

_Would you say that your…_ bone _tired?_

You blanched and glared at your mug. His voice was the one in your head making the pun, and it sucked if only because it hurt.

Undyne was going to answer your question, to her credit. What distracted her was the slump of your shoulders and the bags under your eyes. You also looked pale--paler than usual, that is.

“Hey, punk…” Undyne’s already quiet voice took a concerned note, “You feelin ok?”

You really didn’t want to be having this conversation.

“I’ve just been having trouble sleeping,” You muttered and drank more coffee.

“Is it nightmares?”

You froze and looked up at her, “...how did you know that?”

Undyne looked a little uncomfortable, “Hey, it's not really any of my business...I mean, you get them and you probably don’t wanna talk about it-”

“Undyne,” You cut her off, staring hard at her, “How did you know?”

“Sans,” She sighed.

You felt anger burn in your stomach--how dare he tell someone about your business--until Undyne continued.

“Sans has always had pretty bad nightmares from what Papyrus tells me,” Undyne rubbed the back of her neck and looked off to one side, “And you look about the same as he did back in the Underground.”

A sigh escaped you and you shrugged, sinking back into your chair, “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about that to anyone; you’re right, I don’t wanna talk about it, and if Frisk found out, they’d pester me until I spilled all the details, and I just….I just want to pretend they don’t exist for as long as I can.”

She hesitated, but finally nodded, “Yeah, ok...but tell me what’s going on with you, then. Everybody’s worried: Alphys and Frisk keep thinking you're sick or that you're unhappy with all of us in the house, I’m trying to keep their hopes up and all, but even Sans is acting like he’s lost a little bit of spark.”

Your heart softened at the mention of Alphys and Frisk, and you felt a swell of softness toward Undyne as she spoke about her trying, but a sigh left you as she mentioned Sans.

“If he’s so broken up about it, why doesn’t he just come _talk_ to me?” You couldn’t hide your exasperation, “He’s hot one second and cold the next; I’m tired of feeling burned every time I want to get closer and he brushes me off like I mean nothing to him, but then the next second, he’s teasing me, or trying especially hard to make me laugh. I’m so confused, I don’t know which way is up anymore.”

Undyne nodded in understanding, her eyes looking far away as she tried to wonder what really was up with the short skeleton. The surge of kindness in her--the same kind that powered her magic--made her want to help fix whatever this situation had turned into. Her tongue ran along the inside of her teeth as she thought; why would that little jokester act like that for? What was he worried about?

“Well...maybe…” Undyne had an uncomfortable thought, but she crossed her arms tightly around her before saying it, “Maybe he’s worried you’ll order him to do something.”

Your insides went cold.

“Wh… _what_?” You felt your mouth hang open as the implications suddenly hit you full force, “You mean...like…”

Undyne ignored your stammering and her voice got very quiet, her eyes tracing the woodgrain of the table in between the both of you.

“I didn’t have to worry about it, but Alphys…” Undyne choked on the words for a second; for one, they weren’t hers to spill, for another, Undyne didn’t want to believe them, “The guy who owned Alphys before that professor owned her for one reason-”

“N...No,” You choked, pressing your hand to your lips, “Poor Alphys, oh god, I can’t...Someone actually _ordered_ her to…?”

You couldn’t bring yourself to say the words and you saw Undyne get pale. You swallowed and dropped your gaze. You knew that the collar forced Monsters to obey their owners commands, but your mind had never even _thought_ , had never even gone to that idea. You remembered Sans’s previous owner--that bitch whose name escapes you at the moment--and felt like ice entered your stomach.

Had she ordered Sans to do something like that? Had his owner before that? What about Frisk’s other friends--were they, even now, being forced against their will to perform sexual acts for their owners black hearts?

You felt like you were going to puke and pushed the rest of your coffee away from you. You swallowed and hugged yourself, not wanting to accept that Alphys--poor anxious, sweet, and terrified Alphys--was taken advantage of in such a way.

It suddenly all clicked for you. The way Alphys hated to be touched by anyone but Undyne, her quiet apologies, muttered so fast that you often worried she’d have a fit, the way she never wanted to be alone with you, and absolutely didn’t like being in her bedroom with you, with or without anyone there as a buffer. Your heart stuttered in your chest and you felt your throat go dry.

“Don’t tell her I told you,” Undyne suddenly said quietly, “I know she just wants to forget it ever happened, but…”

“I won’t, I promise,” You said quickly, “I just...fuck...I can’t…”

You rubbed your face again, trying to process things quickly. Sans. If he really was worried about the fact that you owned him...you felt your stomach drop. Even if he did have feelings for you--which you were still heavily doubting--the fact that the collar still hung around his neck would forever be a burden, on both of you.

“Things are so fucked,” You finally murmured, slumping in your seat and burying your face into your hands, “I hate humans; I hate humans so fucking much!”

You felt tears sting your eyes again, but you took a steadying breath. Everything was horrible, but you just pressed your lips together, wiped your face and let your hands drop into your lap.

“I...I can’t do that to Sans,” You said quietly, “I...I won’t; my feelings be damned, I won’t make him feel uncomfortable in a place that he should feel _safe_.”

Undyne looked surprised, “What, you just going to decide you don’t like him??”

“No...I...I don't’ think I can help the fact that I like him--he’s funny, laid back, he’s smart and truth be told, I haven’t felt this physically attracted to someone in a long time,” You admitted quietly, your eyes on the mug you had pushed away, “But...making him worry that I’ll force him into something...I’d rather swallow my feelings, pretend they aren’t there and suffer in silence than put him through that…”

Undyne’s mouth fell a little, and her one visible eye studied your face and posture; you looked tired, and miserable, but there was a quiet strength in your words and in your body that made the fish woman feel compelled to believe you.

Before Undyne could comment again, you pushed your chair back and stood. Your whole body felt sore and tired and all you wanted was sleep--even the fear of nightmares couldn’t stop you now. You bid her goodnight and dumped your coffee cup into the sink before moving out of the kitchen.

A small part of her wanted Undyne to call after you and stop you, but the way your shoulders hunched against the situation, the way you seemed to just accept that you were meant to be unhappy while giving others happiness….Her voice caught in her throat and she could only watch as you disappeared into the hallway.

“Why is everything so fucking complicated?” Undyne wasn’t asking anyone in particular, and even if she was, she wasn’t sure there was an easy answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	17. An Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **WARNINGS!**   
>  ** *Dub-con/Rape **   
>  ** *Abuse **
> 
> This is a very dark chapter, I hope you lovelies will be ok :(
> 
> Anyone who wishes to just know the summary of the chapter can skip to the end notes, or the actual scenes that I warned about are marked with ~*~*~.

The darkness surrounded him fully, and even his eyes had a hard time penetrating it. He already knew the room was completely empty--he’d seen it enough times--but that didn’t change the fact that he still couldn’t stop himself from seeing things in the darkness. Places, things...people. How long had it been? Since the last time he was brought back to this room? How long before he’s be brought back out?

Hours? Days? It all meant nothing in this room; all he could do was let time lose it's meaning or he was sure he’d go insane.

Footsteps outside--he wrapped his arms tightly around himself. He didn’t want to go; he would rather have the darkness and the emptiness than what was going to happen once that door opened. The footsteps faded away and he relaxed again.

His thoughts lingered on the door he knew was in the opposite corner, before turning inward again.

It had been roughly a year since Papyrus had been bought from the circus--a demeaning, but fun job that at least offered the distractions of a performer’s life--and his life had been hell ever since. The man who owned him now was someone important, he knew that much. He was always dressed in expensive clothes and owned a lot of expensive items as far as Papyrus could tell, but the way the man acted and treated him…

He shuddered and curled closer into himself. The collar around his neck shifted as he moved and he reached up to touch the leather, not for the first time wishing he could rip it off.

Yelling; he could hear yelling from down the hall. Two voices. One belonged to the man who owned him, the other belonged to the man’s adult daughter. He liked her, and thought her name--Gabriella, or Gabbie--was beautiful. She was kind and gentle while the man was rough and evil.

He winced when he heard something break, and a shriek that meant the man was hurting her. Rage swelled inside of his body, but he didn’t move. He already knew what was coming.

Hurried footsteps overlapped each other as they came toward the door. The light overhead flipped on and he had to blink and rub his eyes to help them adjust while the door was yanked open.

~*~*~

“Get in there you little bitch!”

The man--he was forced to call the man ‘Master’ thanks to the collar around his neck--held the smaller girl by her hair, a large fist at the back of her head. Gabbie had large tears falling down her face, and sobs were breaking out of her lips, which she was trying to press together to stifle the sound.

“D-daddy, stop it!”

“Shut your mouth, you little whore,” The man didn’t sound angry anymore; his voice had returned to it's neutral calm, “Fuckstick.”

Papyrus already knew that he was being addressed and unfolding himself from his corner.

“Teach this whore a lesson,” The man was already reaching up to the collar of Gabbie’s dress and with a loud tearing noise, ripped it hard enough to gag her. Then the man threw Gabbie to the ground and calmly reached into his jacket to pull out a half-smoked cigar, which he began to prep to relight, “I’m waiting.”

Papyrus, already devoid of clothes, refused to move on his own; he’d wait for the collar to activate, just like always. And activate it did. He felt the power pulse through his limbs, and just like always, he tried to fight it; it was exhausting and he found that each time he had to fight against the collar, he gave up sooner and sooner with each failure…

Gabbie crawled backwards, backing up against the wall, but she closed her eyes tightly without putting up much of a fight. This wasn’t the first time; it wouldn’t be the last.

“Be rough with her,” the man ordered as Papyrus knelt in front of Gabbie, “I want her to actually learn something this time.”

Papyrus felt his arm shoot out and the resounding SLAP make his bones crawl. Then his hand was in her hair, forcing her to move as he turned her over; she screamed from the pain and tried to ragdoll. Papyrus’s hands forced her up on her hands and knees, and Gabbie tried to pull away, but her father reached down and pulled on her underwear until they ripped, making Gabbie wince and scream again. Papyrus’s grip was like iron and she couldn’t get away. His magic was forced out of his soul, and a long orange cock formed between his legs before his hips snapped forward and he buried himself inside of the smaller human.

Gabbie screamed, sobs escaping as she fell to her elbows, Papyrus’s hands holding her hips hard enough that she couldn’t move from her knees. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to find some kind of happy place, but all she saw was her father’s smirk.

A hand--human, not skeletal--grabbed her chin and she was forced to look up, but she wouldn’t open her eyes.

“Look at me.”

She refused, clenching her jaw tightly closed while she tried to ignore the pain between her legs and the sickly wet feeling that she was sure was blood that started to travel down her thighs.

“I said, _Look at me_ ,” The hand that was under her chin moved to her throat and squeezed until her eyes snapped open, looking up at the man who raised her.

His square jaw and slicked back hair were typical, in her eyes. He looked and acted the smooth CEO and business owner that he was. At least, in public. Here at home, he was exactly the slime his family knew he was--trash that just had prettier packaging.

“Now, tell me what you did wrong,” He blew the cigar smoke in her face and she gagged as her body jerked from the movement inside of her.

“I..I mentioned mom,” Gabbie choked on the words.

“And?”

“And…” She felt a fresh wave of tears, “And I threatened to move back in with her.”

“Good girl,” He let go of her throat, but still held her jaw, “Fuckstick, go a little more gently, yeah?”

The movements of Papyrus were slowed, and his hands loosened enough for her to feel the bruises already forming on her hips.

“What lesson are you gunna take from this?”

She hesitated, trying to find the right words to appease the psychopath in front of her.

“I...I won’t leave you,” She choked on the words and hoped he wouldn’t get mad at her for it, “I won’t ever leave home.”

“There’s a smart girl,” He blew more smoke at her before putting the cigar out on her skin, just under her collarbone and above the cup of her bra.

She screamed in pain and tried to jerk backwards, but it was awkward in this position. Papyrus’s hands shot out to wrap around her waist, holding her away from her father’s abuse and the man glared coolly.

Papyrus didn’t look at him, or acknowledge his presence. He instead buried his head into Gabbie’s hair, hoping to pass off his defense of her as an act of passion or punishment.

“Finish her off; I’ll be back.” The man barked before standing and leaving the room, slamming the door closed behind him.

As soon as his footsteps faded away, Papyrus immediately began to repeat, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” into her hair, his hand moving up to touch her cheek.

“I know...I know, Paps,” She hiccuped, leaning back into him and trying to focus on getting off so this could be _over_...The way her father worded his orders wasn’t always precise, but since this wasn’t an unusual occurrence, the magic of the collar seemed to just know what was expected.

With her father no longer in the room, it was easier. Papyrus was allowed to be gentler because of her father’s order and his voice whispered sweet encouragements that helped. After she screamed her release, Papyrus dissolved his magic, made sure she wouldn’t hurt herself, but immediately pulled away and stopped touching her.

It was a needed gesture, one he’d had to learn the hard way the first time they’d been left alone for her ‘punishments’.

~*~*~

Gabbie really did feel sorry for Papyrus; when her first punishment included him, she couldn’t say that, of course. She’d been disgusted and enraged, and terrified of him. It was all fuel for her father’s sadistic streak. Even if he didn’t order Papyrus to rape her, locking her in the room with him--with the lights on or off, it didn’t matter--was enough of a punishment, especially at the beginning.

But that was how she’d found out what kind of person Papyrus was, so in a sick way, she almost wanted to thank her father. Those long hours--maybe days? _Fuck_ , how did Papyrus stand it in here?--were first spent in sobbing silence, but slowly, ever so slowly, Papyrus charmed her with his upbeat and optimistic attitude. Slowly, to distract her and to make being locked in this room not so much a punishment, the tall skeleton would tell her wonderful stories; of being a sentry underground and his love for puzzles, of his brother, Sans, and their life together. He’d tell her about Snowden, and how pretty everything had been.

Papyrus waited until Gabbie’s breathing slowed before he spoke, “Let me heal you.”

His voice was quiet--something her father ordered soon after he’d arrived--and his voice sounded hoarse from underuse.

“H-he’ll just punish you,” She sniffed, but didn’t shy away from him.

“I don’t care,” Papyrus said firmly before reaching out with his skeletal hands and only paused once when she tensed. After a nod from her, he continued and a green glow started between his fingers as he knit her skin back together and soothed the burn.

Gabbie both hated and loved Papyrus; he was a victim of her father just as much as she was and she was convinced that Papyrus would never have touched her of his own will, but she couldn’t stop herself from seeing him as anyone other than her assaulter. Even now, her skin crawled as he healed her, and she had to swallow bile away when he tilted her chin gently to check the reddening patch of skin on her cheek from where he slapped her.

“I’m sorry,” He murmured before pulling away. His natural instinct wanted him to pull her close, and try to wash her in good feelings to try and drown the bad ones, but he knew better. He knew that she saw him as a monster, and not just because he was a skeleton.

She shook her head, but didn’t have it in her to accept his apology.

Papyrus couldn’t stop himself, because of the collar, but that didn’t stop her from hating him, even if it was just a little.

Footsteps were coming closer, and Papyrus scooted back into his corner, curling in on himself the same way he always did; trying to make himself smaller so he could try and disappear for a while. Gabbie’s heart ached for him, but she stood with shaky legs and turned away from him just as the door opened.

“Heh, both my obedient subjects,” The man chuckled, a fluffy robe draped over one arm as he studied first Papyrus and then Gabriella, “Come give your daddy a kiss, and I’ll accept your apology.”

Gabbie felt like there was ash in her mouth as she moved closer to him and tried to ignore the way her knees shook as she leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheeks, lingering in the way she knew he approved of before softly whispering her apology.

“I’m sorry, daddy, I was a bad girl,” Her stomach turned and she had to force her voice not to shake.

“Good girl,” He offered her the robe, “Now go shower and get that disgusting smell off of you.”

She took the robe and wrapped herself in it before obediently walking past him without a second glance back at the room. At least he hadn’t noticed that Papyrus had healed her-

Gabbie was less than halfway down the hall when she heard Papyrus’s pained shriek and her insides quaked. She was wrong. He did notice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this Chapter:  
> We meet up with Papyrus finally, and find that he is under the ownership of a man who uses Papyrus as a punching bag and as a tool in order to 'punish' his daughter, through sexual means. We learn that the daughter both loves and hates Papyrus because of this very messed up relationship.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	18. Confrontations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> So, Wow! There was quite the strong reaction to last chapter, from lost of praise all the way to someone asking me to change Gabbie's name! I'm not going to, but you get the idea of the kinds of responses that I received.
> 
> So, let me take this opportunity to say this while I have all ya'll's attention:
> 
> This kind of story--with those kinds of scenes--is going to be uncomfortable; it's going to hurt on some level and it's going to make you feel sick to your stomach, but that's kind of the point. The fact that it makes you feel that way proves to you the horrendous nature of it and in contrast proves your own decency. Decent people shouldn't be ok with the idea of rape, or slavery or abuse, or any of that. I know I'm not.
> 
> As for everyone's hopes that Pap is saved and that the man gets his comeuppance...
> 
> I won't spoil anything, but I will warn everyone to Stay Determined.  
> (am I a cool surrogate mom who uses cool referances yet? lol)

Lucky for you--or unlucky, depending on how you looked at it--the next few days were spent busy with Asgore and the Resistance in the basement. You and Sans were barely in the same room alone ever, let alone able to say more than two words to each other that didn’t start and end with, “I’m busy, hold that thought.”

Even when Sans was in the room--and rooms were crowded, now that a large number of monsters and humans were together in the basement, helping to finish tidy it and preparing it for even _more_ of their people to join them there--you often ignored him under the guise of being people, either talking to one person or the next, or moving boxes out of the way.

It also helped that Sans avoided the basement, where he was often put to work if found standing doing nothing for extended periods of time. More often than not, he volunteered to keep Frisk company and to keep them from sneaking down the stairs to get involved. You often wondered if he realized you were avoiding him--more than once, you’d seen him waiting for you out of the corner of your eye, only to give up and disappear the moment you looked away.

You didn’t want to hurt him, or his feelings--whatever those really were, at this point you were just confused and aching--but you knew yourself. You knew yourself well enough to know that being around him, making him laugh, laughing at his jokes, talking about everything and nothing all at the same time, all it would do was make you fall deeper. Make you _love_ him more.

The ‘L’ word had hit you not long after your talk with Undyne. Asking yourself why you cared so much what Sans thought and wondering why it hurt so damn much that he still couldn’t bring himself to trust you--it was all because you were in love with him. You had always prided yourself on knowing your emotions well enough to keep yourself untangled in them, but that realization had thrown you for a bit of a loop.

You loved him? You’d only known him for less than 4 months! 4 months, two of which, he hardly trusted you at all-

_Green eyes, watching you from across the room;_ he _hadn’t trusted you either, remember? He always said you reminded him of his ex-boyfriend, who cheated on Jeremy every chance he got, and Jeremy’s exboyfriend had hurt him so badly, he’d sworn off men-_

And the other two months, Sans had spent pulling you along, getting closer and closer until he just dropped on you on a dime because it turns out he _still_ doesn’t trust you-

_Jeremy’s eyes were full of tears, begging you to not let him fall for you. He was so tired of getting hurt, so tired of not knowing where he was standing and he just wanted a goddamn_ break _already…_

_“But I love you,” You’d said, emotions thick in your voice; and you had meant it._

And how could you know you love Sans already? Hadn’t you already learned-

_You know you love Jeremy; there isn’t a feeling like it. A quiet strength in your heart, that’s there like a pillar even when you second guess everything else, even when you aren’t sure you have the strength to handle him at his worst, that love is there like a shelter from the storm._

Of course you know what it's like to love and be in love. This wasn’t anything new to you. You glanced at the staircase that lead upstairs and sighed, your motions pausing as you moved an old box to the one room designated for all the old junk that belonged to your sister and her husband. Everything in you was telling you that it was true.

You loved Sans. It wasn’t deep, and it was new. You knew that it would most likely not survive if left in the coldness that Sans was determined to keep the two of you in, but how could this small still strength in your heart not be love? It covered all of his flaws beautifully, you could only see the skeleton with the eternal grin and the endless puns; you could only see the hurt, and you wanted to cover it, help him heal from it.

You entered the storage room and put the box down--there was enough junk in here that you were contemplating going through your own stuff and giving up the life of a hoarder--and sat on another box. On top of everything, you were exhausted. Nightmares weren’t an every night thing, but they frequented enough that sleep was no longer a welcome state.

You avoided it like the plague, now. You rested your elbows on another box that was shoulder level to you and then resting your head on your arm. The noise from the rest of the basement was comforting, like a blanket that told you there was nothing to fear. You felt yourself hum and sat up straight. That hum made you think you were falling asleep so you shook yourself and stood. You needed to make sure everything upstairs was going alright.

A sigh escaped you again before you started for the stairs. Dinner had already been prepared and everyone--the members of the Resistance included--had eaten and been satisfied with the meal. Now you were sure it was time for Frisk’s bedtime and you started to head up the stairs.

“Hey, babe!”

You froze halfway up the stairs and turned your body to look down into the basement.

There he was, Jeremy in all his wholeness and he wasn’t...but how could he be…?

“J-Jer?” you choked on his nickname and felt as if you couldn’t move, “Why are you…?”

“You know I couldn’t leave like that,” He shrugged, “Necklaces weren’t my thing, you know?”

You choked again and a flash behind your eyes--Jeremy, hanging in front of you, his body still, so unnaturally still--made you take a step back, up toward the top of the stairs.

“hey, sweetheart.”

You turned and Sans was at the top. Relief washed you at the pet name, but something was...off. His sockets were completely blank and his hands were limp at his side, rather than stuffed into his jacket pockets. You swallowed.

“Sans…?”

“Hey, focus on me, babe!”

You head whipped around to look at Jeremy and your breath stopped for a moment. His short black hair was it's usual mess, but everything else...it was just wrong. His skin--normally so tan from his love of hiking--was pale. His green eyes were dull and empty. There was an ugly black bruise that stretched just under his jaw and you felt yourself almost trip when you tried to take another step backwards.

“N-no…” You tried to force any words you could out, “This….this isn’t real!”

“I’m real enough, babe,” His voice was around you and the stairs gave way, letting you fall into darkness.

You sat up straight and almost screamed. Your hand came up to cover your mouth, killing the sound in your mouth. You were still in the storage room. Still sitting on a box. Still downstairs. You hadn’t gotten up or been stopped on the stairs. You were ok.

Well, no, you really weren’t.

The noise of the basement had died down a little,and you realized you must have been asleep for a little while; most everyone, it sounded like, had turned in for the night. You swallowed and took a shaky breath, before you stood and headed out into the main room.

The light was still on and it took you a second to adjust--the storage room had no light at all--before you headed for the stairs, fully intending on drinking a full pot of coffee.

~*~

Unfortunately--or fortunately--for you, the kitchen wasn’t empty at this late hour.

You didn’t notice at first, because you had moved toward the coffee pot and started a brew before a voice coming from the breakfast table startled you.

“heya.”

You jumped and nearly dropped the mug you were in the middle of pulling out, “Holy-”

A quiet chuckle echoed in the empty kitchen and you glanced over at Sans, who was sitting at the table. He looked ready for bed, but a glance at the clock--2 in the morning--told you he’d probably already gone to bed and been up again.

“sorry, pal,” He said, resting his head on hand, leaning forward onto his elbow while he watched you, “didn’t mean to make you jump out of your skin.”

The pun hit you a moment later and you felt a smile appear on your face as you turned away, trying not to laugh, “Geez, Sans, that one was a little subtle for you.”

You only waited for there to be enough coffee brewed to pour a cup and you quickly up the pot back before too much spilled onto the hot plate. You started to fix it up the way you liked it before you hesitated.

All of you wanted to stay in the kitchen and spend time with Sans. All of you, except for the small part that nagged at you, reminded you that he didn’t trust you, that he was more than likely going to turn cold as soon as things got friendly again…

“Well, you can have a cup of coffee,” You offered, preparing to turn toward the doorway, but Sans cut you off.

“have you even gone to bed yet?” His voice was a little quiet.

“I dozed off for a bit,” You admitted, glancing at him overtly.

“not planning on sleeping?” He was looking at the pot of coffee, which was still filling up.

You shrugged almost guiltily, “I, uh...I have things to do.”

He looked at you incredulously, “things, huh?”

You sighed and realized that lying was not a strong suit you possessed; at least, not to people you cared about. Despite the echo of the part of you that wanted to hold strong and keep avoiding Sans, you found yourself moving closer and sitting across from from him.

There was a silence then, between the two of you. You, looking down into your cup and Sans, watching you with a steady gaze.

“why aren’t you sleeping, huh?” He asked it slowly, and without a tone which threw you a little.

Still, you felt you should answer, “Probably the same reason you aren’t; nightmares.”

Sans stilled, his eyes leaving you and looking anywhere but back into your eyes. You saw a spooked look on his face, as if you’d said some horrible taboo and he was ashamed just to hear it.

“Sans,” you said quietly, “There isn’t anything wrong with having nightmares.”

“that’s where you’re wrong,” he almost snapped it at you, but he managed to force himself to take a breath first, “but i don’t wanna talk about it.”

“I wasn’t asking you to,” You shrugged, “You’re a private person, Sans; I understand that. You don’t wanna share, and I sure as hell don’t want to push-”

He cut you off, “frisk wanted to know why you weren’t there to tuck them in.”

It was such an abrupt change of subject that you had to actually take a moment to gather what he had actually said.

“Ah,” you glanced toward the door to the study, “I was actually about to come up and check on them when I sort of...fell asleep in the store room.”

Sans raised a bone brow at you, “in the store room?”

“Yup, just passed right out,” You shrugged, looking back down at your mug before taking along drink of the hot liquid, “Had a nice little short nightmare too, so there was that.”

You looked up at him in time to see his eyes move toward the clock and you nodded, “Yeah, I know, I wasn’t asleep long…”

As private as he was, you could still read his face well enough. His grin shrunk and you could tell he wanted to ask how much sleep you’d been losing. His brows came together and he was thinking better of asking--he didn’t want you prying into his business, after all and asking you would be like an invite for you to do the same--and his eyes shifting meant he wanted to find a more neutral subject to switch this too.

You decided to save him from his small amount of floundering.

“I’m sorry I’ve been avoiding you,” You blurted it out easily; it wasn’t a much easier conversation than the nightmares, but at least it was something that you hoped he’d be willing to talk about.

He gaped for a moment before glancing to one side, “yeah, i’d been wondering if that was what you were doing; can’t say i blame you much.”

You snorted a little, “Gotta say, I was sort of expecting you to not acknowledge the hot-cold treatment I’ve been getting from you.”

It was a strange air that fell between you two; Undyne had been right. It felt as if you two had broken up, and were now trying to reconcile. You almost wanted to laugh at it--because crying was the alternative--but you just sipped your coffee while you waited for his answer.

“undyne,” He supplied with a quiet chuckle, “she’s ah...upset at me for all of this.”

His hand motioned between the both of you vaguely and you nodded in understanding; Undyne would totally go and yell at Sans for you. The thought made you smile, but you hid it behind another sip of coffee and you found your cup empty.

“Well,” You shrugged, “I’ll admit, I’m pretty upset, too.”

“yeah, yeah, I figured,” He sighed, leaning back in his chair and letting his hands fall into his lap, his head turned a little and his eyes on the floor, “look, i dunno what you expect outta me-”

“Would you believe nothing?”

He froze and looked up at you, his eyes dimmed, “i, uh...what?”

“I don’t expect anything out of you,” You shrugged, your eyes on your empty coffee cup, “I get it, I really do; you can’t think of me without thinking of that stupid collar around your neck. I am everything you didn’t want out of your life on the surface, and I…” You tried to keep sounding nonchalant, but your emotions were getting the better of you and your voice was getting thick from them, “I don’t expect anything from you.”

You cleared your throat and pushed your chair back as if you were going to stand, but you hesitated, “I won’t lie to you Sans; I have feelings for you, but I won’t push, i won’t even ask you to acknowledge them. It isn’t fair to you that I have the power over your very actions and then try to start a relationship with you.” 

You stood, needing to find something to occupy yourself; something other than the deep voids of his eye sockets as he listened to you talk. He seemed frozen at your words, and like a switch, you couldn’t read him anymore; there was nothing on his face to betray his thoughts or feelings. You moved passed the fridge, intent on filling your cup with more coffee as you continued speaking.

“It isn’t even fair that you _have_ to be around me enough that you would even consider anything like-”

Your voice cut off when your back hit the refrigerator, making you drop the cup. Your ears didn’t hear it shatter on the ground as your eyes were now staring into the pools of darkness that belonged to Sans. One hand had gripped your wrist, and he held it to one side--this was how he turned you to face him--while his other hand was pressed against the fridge door near your head. His chest was pressed against you, holding you still and the breath left you.

“S-sans?” You swallowed, your chest beating in your throat and a warmth pooling in your lower stomach.

“i can’t get you out of my skull,” He bit the words out, frustration marking his words, but despite his anger, he hadn’t hurt you at all, “your voice and your actions, all of them are something that make me want to get close.”

You swallowed and took a shaky breath before you breathed, “Sans, I…”

“no,” His hand holding your wrist tightened, “you don’t get it, stop saying you do; you keep trying to say you understand but how could you know what it's like to have to _watch_ while your body does things. you can’t understand what it's like to feel your body _forced_ to do something while you spend all your energy trying to stop, but you can’t!”

His breathing came out in heavy pants and you felt yourself tremble a little; this scared you a little, but you refused to order him to stop, to let you go. You wouldn’t do it.

Sans seemed to come back to himself in the following silence and he stepped back, his hands falling to his sides and his eyes staring at the ground. He couldn’t find anymore words after that outburst, and he felt husked out. He’d been so frustrated with himself; he’d called you wishy-washy, and indecisive, but the way he’d treated you, he’d done the same thing. He still wasn’t sure how he wanted to proceed, but he’d hoped he could talk to you, get everything in the open so it wouldn’t be trapped inside him…

Then you tried to be so understanding, and it had frustrated him to no end. Why couldn’t you just call him out on his own bullshit the way he didn’t seem to have a problem calling you out on yours? His fists clenched; well, he’d fucked it up now, didn’t he? He’d gotten angry at you, freaked out over something he thought he’d been over, and nearly hurt you in his anger…

He turned and started for the door. He didn’t want to see the horror on your face, or see disappointment, or hatred, or…

“Sans!” You called him on instinct, stepping forward, but Sans didn’t respond or turn to look back.

You froze and watched him head out into the backyard, nearly slamming the door closed and making you jump. You sighed and looked down at the shattered mug while Sans looked up at the stars, and in that moment, you both thought the same thing.

_Why does this have to be so hard?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The answer for Sans and Reader is that its because the author loves to drag drama out 8D
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	19. Full and Fuller

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I have a SHOUTOUT I’d like to make, as a suggestion for all the lovely readers I have:
> 
> [Jack of All Trades](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5482427/chapters/12667529) by the author [CapnHanbers](http://archiveofourown.org/users/CapnHanbers/pseuds/CapnHanbers)
> 
> This is one of my FAVORITE Undertale fanfics and I absolutely squealed like a schoolgirl when they responded to my review and gave me permission to give them a shoutout :3
> 
> Please go show some love, even if its just a kudo~~<3

You managed to avoid sleep again last night and you felt an odd nauseated feeling in your stomach as you walked over to Frisk’s bedroom, preparing to wake them for the day, even though it was Saturday. Normally, they’d be up already for cartoons and to talk with any new monsters who had appeared in the night, but you could see that their door was still closed. It was unusual, but not anything you thought was strange.

You knocked on the door twice and pushed it open.

You were startled to see Frisk sitting up in bed, staring straight up at the ceiling with a blank expression. You froze, your eyes playing tricks on you when you thought deep red stain Frisk’s deep brown pools.

“F...Frisk?” You hoped against all hope that you weren’t having another nightmare, but your insides trembled and your knees felt weak.

Frisk snapped to attention, looking at you with a smile, Aunty, good morning!

You took a steadying breath and studied them for a moment longer before you offered them your own smile, though you don’t think you put much effort into it. Frisk didn’t seem to notice as they jumped out of bed and started to pull clothes out, stripping at the same time.

Absently, you pushed the door closed behind you and averted your eyes, though Frisk didn’t seem to notice in the least.

This child...you might need to talk to them about decency; for a child who insisted they had no gender, you supposed it wasn’t so strange that they wouldn’t think there was much to hide bodily, but you could already see Frisk developing breasts and filling out their shirts...you’d have to ask them about that to.

Did they want to start binding? Did they not care about having breasts? You’d done so much research back when your sister first told you that Frisk didn’t want to be known as a girl or a boy, just because you were so confused and you hadn’t known that that was actually a thing...of course, you had to sift through a lot of hate in order to get anything real.

Frisk touched your hand and you glanced down at them with a more genuine smile.

“Ready to go downstairs?”

Frisk winked at you, one hand giving you a finger gun and the other signing, Ready and willing to be seen with the sexiest one in the house!

You felt an odd blush and quirked an eyebrow. Frisk certainly was a flirty one, but they had usually saved their flirts for the monsters much to their amusement and yours. Still, you snorted and nodded.

“Well, thanks for that.”

The both of you made your way downstairs, and you could see that different monsters had made themselves comfortable in different places in the house this early morning.

The living room had Undyne, Alphys, and a monster you knew was named Whimsum and two armored monsters named RG01 and RG02--you weren’t sure if that was their real names, but you didn’t want to ask--while the sitting room held Asgore, an old turtle named Gerson, and another couple of Monsters who shared the name Froggit.

You passed the dining room and saw a scattering of Whimsum, Froggits, a huge armor clad monster called Greater Dog, and a nervous monster who shifted his eyes named Doggo. Your study was empty, but the kitchen had a couple of monsters that you knew as Nicecream Guy--he said his name was just Guy, but most of the other monsters still added the ‘nicecream’ part--and a cat-looking monster named Burgerpants--he twitched every time someone called him that, so you’d taken to shortening it to Burg.

Both were sitting on the same side of the breakfast table, talking quietly and sitting closer than you thought was normal, but you just moved to the fridge to start cooking for the large amount of monsters, plus you and Frisk.

It wasn’t lost on you that you hadn’t seen Sans, even though he was always up early. You rubbed your face while you waited for the stove to preheat, but you let cooking distract you. Today you were making a scrambled bake--similar to quiche, but in a bigger pan and with more ingredients--and you had to make multiples; a lot of work, and yet you still found a way to let your mind wander as you did it.

Sans had looked so...lost, that was the face he’d made while he was pressed against you. His voice pounded in your ears and you swallowed hard to try and get that face out of your head, but you couldn’t. It was there every time you blinked.

Cooking took it's time, which meant you felt exhausted by the time it was finished, but you still called out to the house, “Breakfast!”

People trickled into the kitchen to take plates and sat around the dining room table and you paused to glance through the archway and smiled. That table had never been full before, even when you’d invited friends or neighbors over, and it left a warm feeling in your chest that gave you a little peace from your thoughts.

“Let us take care of the rest, little buddy,” Burg was suddenly at your shoulder, an unlit cigarette in his mouth. His voice almost drawled.

You looked up at him--most every monster you’d met had been taller than you, with the exception of the Froggits, Whimsums, Gerson and Sans--and offered him a smile, “Don’t feel obligated-”

Guy was next to Burg in a moment, “We’ll take care of it! You go and relax!”

You glanced between the two and smiled, “Thanks, guys, your a big help.”

“Don’t mention it, little buddy.”

You made sure Frisk had enough and took a plate yourself, but you ate in the kitchen--seeing as the dining room table was full--but you listened as the talking turned into a dull drone, each voice overlapping and filling the house with the noise of happy togetherness. Your heart felt pricked when you thought about how many monsters were actually missing out on this.

You swallowed and nearly lost your appetite when you looked at Frisk--who was sitting with their back to you--and remembered your promise to find all of their friends.

An ache started behind your eyes, but you finished eating and thanked the other two in the kitchen before you left your plate and headed for the stairs. You had an idea of who you needed to look for first, but you were almost dreading what you’d find.

~*~

You stared at your laptop and rubbed your eyes again. So far, you literally had nothing to go on, nothing at all.

The list of names you had written on a nearby notebook had scribbles and writing everywhere.

Grillby was a cook at a restaurant in the next state.  
Muffet was missing and declared deceased.  
Monster Kid (you were shocked to find that was exactly the name he was registered as) was moved all the way into another country.  
Napstablook wasn’t registered at all, and neither was a monster Frisk called ‘Flowey’.  
Everyone knew where Mettaton was, because he was on TV almost daily.  
And Papyrus, Sans’s brother…

You stared at the screen harder, as if you could change what it said:

**ID Number: 85629761**  
Name: Papyrus  
Last known address: [REDACTED]  
City: [REDACTED]  
Status: Location known; request approved for privacy of owner.

Sans had mentioned Papyrus being owned by a circus, but this...isn’t this wrong, then? Maybe he got purchased and now was living with someone with enough influence to have them change the listings…

You ran your hand through your hair and rubbed your face. Everything just seemed to get harder and harder every time you tried to look for new solutions…

The house shook violently, almost making you fall out of bed and you felt your heart stop.

What the _hell_ was that??

You pushed your laptop away and hurried out of your door, nearly running into Sans, who had come rushing out of his own bedroom.

“you felt that?” Sans glanced toward the stairs.

“I don’t know how I couldn’t have,” You answered breathily, hurrying down the stairs with Sans on your heels.

No one was in the first floor, and the eerie quiet of it after you were just down here during breakfast...it sent chills as you started to call.

“Frisk? Frisk, where are you!?”

Sans moved to the back door and looked out, while you started looking in each room, calling for Frisk. It wasn’t until you got to the study that you saw dust coming from the open basement.

“what the…?” Sans’s voice came from behind you and you pulled your shirt over your nose and mouth before heading for the staircase.

You could hear the sound of many different monsters coughing and hacking; the dust was still hanging in the air down here and you had to blink your eyes quickly to keep the dust out of your eyes.

“What the hell happened,” You demanded of the nearest monster--Alphys--before quickly asking, “Where’s Frisk?”

“Frisk is here,” Asgore’s deep rumble came from a nearby doorway and you hurried over to see that the tarp that Asgore used as a cloak was wrapped tightly around himself and the unusual bulge in his side was about the right shape for Frisk. You couldn’t hear Frisk coughing, so the tarp must have done some good.

“Get them upstairs, please,” You almost bit at him, but added the please to soften your tone.

Alphys coughed, but answered your first question.

“W-we’re t-trying t-to find a-an alternative t-to sneaking th-through y-your y-yard at n-night,” She supplied, pulling her glasses off to wipe them clean.

“So you're trying to blow the house up??” You asked.

“Nah, we’re tryin’ ta build a tunnel,” Gerson said, his head barely poking out of his shell, “We monsters are pretty good at it, little missus, if ya catch my drift.”

You were speechless for a moment, your mouth gaping open behind your shirt before you blinked and sighed heavily, “So, you're trying to build a tunnel in my basement, _without even warning me??_ ”

Gerson shrugged, “Didn’t think it woulda cause too much trouble.”

“Didn’t think-” You gaped at the old turtle again as he rasped out a chuckle; you were about to snap at him when you felt a hand on your shoulder.

A glance told you it was Sans, and his voice came out easily, “c’mon, let's get you upstairs, the others can air out all this dust…”

You resisted his tug, but the second one was a little more firm and you gave a withering look toward Gerson before letting Sans pull you up the stairs and away from any commotion down below.

“They’re gunna bring the house down,” You hissed at Sans as soon as you both were in the study, “And _Frisk_ was down there!”

“i know you’re worried,” Sans answered coolly, “but no one got hurt, the house is still standing, and frisk is fine.”

You wanted to snap at him but he was right. You almost hated it that he was right, but you took a shaky breath and tried to calm yourself down. As far as you could tell, no one was even going to be hurt by all the dust in the air. You sank into the desk chair nearby and finally let your anger melt into what you were really feeling: a healthy mix of fear and apprehension.

There wasn’t much you could do now…

You were about to ask where Asgore and Frisk were when the doorbell went off.

“Dammit,” you rubbed your face, “I’m covered in dust and that’s probably a neighbor wanting to know why my house did that cha-cha in the middle of the morning…”

Sans snorted at the mental image, but reached out and started to dust you off. It wasn’t perfect--your clothes were definitely filthy, but you looked less like a desert rat and more like you’d been in the attic or something--but it was going to have to be good enough for you to answer the door.

You hurried up the hall as whoever it was rang the doorbell a second time.

“Coming!” You called before opening it.

You were a little surprised to see the older woman who lived to the right of you; she hardly ever came out of her house and as far as you could tell, she didn’t speak english.

“Ah,” you stepped out and shut the door, if only to hide anyone who happened to walk out of the study for fresh air, “Mrs. Scheizen…”

Before you could say anything, she spoke, her accent thick, “Are you ok? Whole neighborhood shook like jello.”

Your eyes glanced at the other houses in this small neighborhood and you saw a few people going door to door, checking on people, “Oh, so that wasn’t just us?”

You hoped the joke would go over well and saw her shake her head, “Some say water main-” she punctuated this with a sharp jab with her finger toward the street; or more likely _under_ the street, “-I say, feels like bomb, but what do I know, I am old woman, yes?”

“Uhh…” You shrugged, “Well, if it shook all the houses in the neighborhood...could be either?”

The old woman laughed and then hacked, “Why you dirty?”

You froze and stammered, “I, uh...the attic; I was up in the attic, trying to clean it out.”

Her dark--almost black--eyes watched you for a few moments before she laughed, “I see; good luck with _attic_.”

Without another word, she turned and began to walk away, down your front steps and back toward her own house. You watched her go, crossing your arms loosely in front of your stomach. That old woman...was her accent German? Russian? You couldn’t place it, as muddled as it was, but you felt an uncomfortable pit open in your stomach at the idea that she might know more than she let on...that she _knew_ what was happening in your house.

You swallowed and jumped a little when a man who lived down the street called to you from the curb, “You and the kid ok?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” You called back, and watched him walk down the road toward the next house.

“We’re fine,” you said again under your breath, trying to convince yourself before you turned and went back into your house, shutting and locking the door behind you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	20. No Room for Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> A shortish chapter that is just to help everyone get into the mind of the Reader and their growing stress.
> 
> I promise, things are going to start moving a little faster in the next chapter!

After the small earthquake caused by all the monsters in your basement, they had promised to keep the excavation to a slow dig, rather than the huge movement of earth that apparently Gerson had been responsible for. You rubbed your temples and sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee under your face as you inhaled the vapors in hopes of relieving the headache that was forming behind your eyes and at the base of your skull.

The short footsteps you recognized as Frisk’s are suddenly in the kitchen with you and you turn your head to look at them. Frisk looks uncomfortable and shifts from foot to foot.

“What’s the matter, Frisk?” You sat up a little, turning your body to show you were paying attention.

I’m sorry I was downstairs, Frisk signed slowly, their hands moving continuously, I just wanted to be there to support everyone, I didn’t mean to make you unhappy.

You blinked before you reached out and touched their shoulder gently, “Frisk, I’m not mad or unhappy with you, sweetie; I just can’t help worrying about you, you’re my chibling and I love you. That being said, I would appreciate it if you would stay away from the basement, at least for now..”

Frisk nodded slowly and looked down. You felt like the bad guy, trying to keep Frisk from the monsters that they obviously wanted to be around, but how could you not worry about what would happen to them? You sighed and pulled Frisk into a hug.

Frisk pulled away quickly and was signing again.

I’m also sorry I went into your room, I didn’t know where you were, Frisk was signing.

“My room, what…?”

You remembered what page you had open on your laptop and the notebook with the list of names and you pressed your lips together.

“Frisk,” you had no idea what to say to them; they weren’t forbidden from your room--that was the last thing you wanted to do.

Why can’t we save everyone? Why is everything so hard here on the surface?

You swallowed hard and let out a small sigh, “I...I don’t know, Frisk.”

Why not? Why can’t you make everything better?

“I’m trying, Frisk, but up here there are rules-”

Frisk looked on the verge of tears and before you could continue, they turned away and started walking through the dining room. You stood, calling after them, but they didn’t look back at you, or even acknowledge you were talking to them. You sank back into the chair and covered your face before you could take a moment to breathe.

It felt like one thing after another kept happening and all you wanted was a moment of pe-

The house phone rang and you nearly screaming into your palms.

Instead, you took two deep breaths and stood, heading for the hallway where the house phone was hanging on the wall.

“Hello?”

“Heeey~” The voice on the other end made you hold it away from your ear for a moment, “Who’s my favorite author?”

“Herold?” You blinked, hearing the voice of your agent.

“Bingo-bango!” He chuckled before his voice finally settled a little, “I was just calling to see how you were holding up; I know you haven’t talked to me about what you’re planning with your next book, but you seem to be taking an extended break, and I just wanted to see what was happening…”

You forced yourself not to sigh; how could you even figure out a writing schedule around what was happening in your house right now? But didn’t you have to? Royalties only lasted as long as books were being bought, and there was never a guarantee for sales...You had some money coming in from the foreign printings, but it was the same deal…

“I...well, life has been getting a little busy,” You said finally, “I’m hoping to settle into a routine soonish, then I’ll have a better idea of what I want to do with myself.”

“Alright,” He was saying, though he sounded distracted, “Hey, I gotta go, but you keep me posted as soon as you need me, yeah?”

“Yeah, I will,” You said quietly, but Herold was already hanging up.

You sighed and hung the phone up. Now you had to think about a book that you weren’t even sure you had the energy to write. Great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	21. New Allies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I introduce my own monster OC in this chapter; as soon as I have the free time to post a character sheet for her on my tumblr, I'll let you all know <3
> 
> I'm also trying to make an effort to reply to as many reviews as I can--if I can't think of anything to say in reply to your reviews, please forgive me; I'm trying to avoid the generic 'thank you for reviewing' type of reply, since I don't want any of you to feel like I've ignored you or that you aren't important to me!
> 
> **EDIT: A lot of people pointed out that I accidentally gave the READER too many details, physically; because Gabbie and Reader look alike and I already had a mental image of Gabbie, I sort of accidentally superimposed them onto the reader too, lol. Fixed now so that its more ambiguous.**

Less than a week later--though you were now having trouble keeping track of days; each one melted into the next for you, where sleep was avoided and hours dragged out into stress filled nights--Asgore asked you, Sans, Alphys and Undyne to come downstairs.

Through one of the doors, you could see a new tunnel going down and outwards, heading under your backyard to who knows where. From the way dirt was still being pulled out of it, you could tell the tunnel still wasn’t finished, but you turned back to Asgore as he started to speak.

“I called you all here to introduce you to the monster who just arrived,” Asgore made a motion with his hand, “Inker, can you come out here?”

You glanced behind Asgore as a monster started to come out of it.

You couldn’t help but stare.

The monster in question was...well, _tiny_. They only came up to your knee, which was shorter than even the Froggits, most of which came up to your mid-thigh. Their face was a little squished, and bent glasses were low on their bat-like nose. Their eyes were uncharacteristically small, and their ears were large--they really did look like a bat, you realized.

“Asgore,” The voice that came out of the small monster was distinctly female, and had a small wheeze at the end of sentences, “Ah, you must be the human who owns that house; thanks and all that, sorry it took me so long to get here, yadda yadda.”

The bat waddled up to your legs and you blinked before jumping when she unfolded large wings that you hadn’t noticed with her arms at her sides and was suddenly on your shoulder, her face leaning close to yours as she seemed to study you.

“Inker, that’s hardly polite!” Asgore fussed, his hands wringing each other.

“Can’t hardly see nuffin, Asgore, you great lump, you know that,” Inker leaned forward and pushed up her glasses; you caught a distinct fruity smell coming off of her nearly-black fur--hair?--and for some reason, it put you at ease.

“A-ah,” You weren’t trying to lean away, but you found you couldn't help it as Inker kept leaning forward, “N-nice to meet you…”

You gave her your name, but she didn’t seem all that interested.

“geez, buddy,” Sans chuckled, “i get you don’t want to go into this _blind_ , but _echo_ not believe you need to get that up close and personal.”

You snorted and had to bring up a hand so you didn’t accidently start laughing in Inker’s face; it wasn’t a problem for long, because Inker turned while still on your shoulder and looked down at Sans.

“I still remember the babybones you used to be, don’t test me,” Inker’s voice took a strange tone, but she still jumped down and stood in front of the four of you.

You tried to catch Sans’s eye with a questioning glance, but he was staring hard toward the front.

Asgore cleared his throat and you focused again on him, “As I was saying, Inker arrived here earlier this evening; she’s the one who’s been able to figure out how to disable the Monster Collars.”

You tilted your head and looked down at the small monster, “How?”

Inker was playing with some kind of small device, tinkering with it with a screwdriver before glancing up at you.

“Magic’s similar to Alphys’s, but not the same” She said, waving the screwdriver toward the yellow dinosaur who was three times her size, “Alphys there has the power to create new technology with her magic, I can only alter it.”

You blinked curiously, “So, magic isn’t just like magical powers…?”

Inker snorted, “No, not everyone is as overt as Asgore or Undyne; Alphys and I may not pack the kind of punch you’d expect, but we’ll think our way around you easier’n any monster in existance.”

“I can still kick your ass, squirt,” Undyne grumbled, crossing her arms.

“Try,” Inker wasn’t even looking up at Undyne when she answered.

“Please don’t,” you rubbed your face.

“Please, let us settle,” Asgore said, “I wanted to call you all here to inform you that while Inker has been toying with the collars for a long time--usually to get rid of them once they’re off the monsters--she may be able to come with a way that will disable the collars around you three without requiring you to take it off, necessarily.”

“So, no one would know they're deactivated, but we'd be free?!” Undyne's voice rose in volume, leaning forward in her excitement.

“Ideally,” Inker was back to playing with the small metal object in her hand.

You cautiously tilted your head and asked, “What does ‘ideally’ mean, exactly?”

From the corner of your eye, you saw Sans glance at you; you wouldn't have noticed it, but you felt like you were always aware of Sans.

“The collars work by connecting directly into a monster’s magic; that's how it's able to control them,” Inker explained, her hands moving into her fanny pack as she pulled out a deactivated collar, “In that same way, the collar can turn a monster into dust should they try to remove it, or if they run away.”

You felt a chill as she explained, but you didn't interrupt her.

“Until now, my job was easy: use my own expertise and remove the collars until they shorted out on their own, but the question of protecting the child…” Inker’s eyes landed on you, and you pressed your lips together but refused to budge, “...Very well, then the alternative would be for me to first remove their collars and then find a way to disable their ability to connect to a Monster’s magic.”

“Is th-that p-possible?” Alphys glanced between Inker and Asgore.

“Possible,” Inker shrugged, “But certainly more dangerous.”

You froze at that, a hand coming to your face.

“So...I have to weight Frisk’s safety with the safety of my friends…?” You swallowed hard, looking from Sans, to Undyne and then to Alphys.

“We would all like to see Frisk remain in your care,” Asgore assured, but you could see how nervous he was.

Inker had no trouble being blunt, “Technically, I could remove their bonds without your permission; why all these Boss Monsters want to cow to your selfish whims, I’ll never know.”

You felt it as the stab it was, “Frisk-”

“Has proven themselves capable to take care of themselves,” Inker snorted, “These monsters may have collars on them, but you _shouldn’t_ get a say in whether they keep them on!”

A hush fell over the basement at her raised voice and you felt your own get stuck in your throat. The small bat monster put her winged arms around herself, eyeing you with a steady glare--though you think she’s actually staring a little too high--and you had to swallow while you tried to find your words.

Is that what you’ve been doing? Forcing your will, even though you’d never actually given any of them an order? You tried to look at the three standing next to you, but none of them would catch your eyes.Your heart fell into your stomach and you put a hand to your mouth, looking at the ground.

A wave of embarrassment and guilt surged through you and all you wanted to do was lock yourself somewhere that you could never hurt someone again. How could you be so blind? Of course Sans and the others would agree with you and your wants, you _owned_ them; they didn’t have a choice. It finally clicked for you why Sans was acting the way he was. Tears burned your eyes and you took a step back, wanting to say something, anything-

Suddenly there was a loud banging on your front door and you sucked in a gasp while the people in the basement started to move quickly and quietly. You hesitated--your emotions were still overwhelming you--but pushed yourself toward the stairs, slipping by those trying to hide in the basement.

The banging continued, and you swallowed, making sure the first floor was empty before you moved to the door and glanced through the peephole.

A man and a woman--both human, the man taller than the peephole, the other about even with it--glanced around nervously and you froze when you saw that the man was holding a woman...a distinctly non-human woman, whose purple skin and 8 limbs made you pause. Suddenly the man was pounding again and you quickly opened the door.

They both froze when they saw you--you were in PJ’s for the night, which meant black sweats and an oversized T-shirt--but the woman swallowed hard before she asked.

“Y...you’re the one, right?” She mentioned your name, “You’re the one helping monsters, right?”

You glanced out past them into the neighborhood, feeling ice in your gut. If they came down the street, there was no way your neighbors didn’t notice them; instead of focusing on that, you nodded quickly and ushered them both in, shutting and locking the door behind them.

You saw Sans appear from the study and you called back to him, “Someone’s hurt!”

He didn’t even hesitate to turn back and head to the basement, where he was calling someone’s name.

You directed the two humans to bring the woman to your sitting room and to lay her on the couch, “What happened?”

“W-we found her,” The man said quietly, “We recently joined up with the Resistance and they asked us to patrol the outskirts of town tonight, and she was just… _there_.”

The woman piped up, “Her name is Muffet and her collar is going off like crazy...it keeps trying to dust her, but…”

You finally noticed the collar and a short gasp left you when you leaned back.

At first, you didn’t think she had a collar, but now you saw that the mass of black around her neck _was_ the monster collar; but it was completely covered in small black spiders; every time the collar sent a surge of energy out--mostly likely, you reasoned, trying to kill Muffet--a few more spiders would fall off, dead, but Muffet only groaned in pain, closing all five of her eyes tightly against it.

“Inker, you must do something,” Asgore’s rumble made you jump and you turned to see the former king standing in the archway, Inker on his shoulder.

The small bat jumped down and pushed back you and the two new humans without much ceremony, huddling close to the collar as best she could, what with it being covered by all those spiders.

“This will be difficult,” Inker said, one bat-like wing extending as she held her arm out over Muffet’s chest, making a mimed grasping motion before pulling gently. You gasped when a white heart, flipped upside down, appeared above the Monster. You had seen human souls--thanks to the fiasco at the university--but seeing this…

You swallowed and felt like you were seeing something very personal. You ushered the other two humans through the dining room into the kitchen, and you rubbed your face. Your chest still ached from Inker’s accusations downstairs, but you pushed them away for the moment and focused on the man and woman.

He was tall, with dark skin and hair, but his eyes were a shocking blue. He was at least head and shoulders taller than you, and he had an athletic build.

The girl gave you a sense of nostalgia, as if you’d seen her somewhere before...you brushed that away in favor of actually looking at her. Her hair was about the same length as yours, and matched the color almost to a shade. Her eyes were brown, and her skin tone was different from yours, but you could have been her sister, if you didn’t know better. She looked like an expensive doll, with how pretty she was.

“You both know me,” You finally said, loosely crossing your arms in front of your stomach.

The girl caught on before the man did, “Oh, sorry; he’s Devon, and my name is Gabriella; you can call me Gabbie.”

You nodded and shook Devon’s hand, but Gabbie kept her hands completely to herself. She even seemed to lean away from you and Devon, though you had thought that the two of them knew each other…

The thought was gone as soon as Asgore entered the kitchen.

“It will be some time before Inker is able to finish her work with Muffet,” Asgore was watching you quietly, “I understand Inker upset you with her words-”

You cut him off quickly, “N-no, she was right...I shouldn’t have any say about the collars, any more than I should have a say over anyone else’s life; please, leave me out of the situation.”

“What of Frisk?”

“Frisk and I will manage.”

Asgore paused before his hand came to rest on your shoulder,” My child, you need not face this battle alone. I, for one, see Frisk as if they were my own child; I will not allow them to be taken.”

It was a comfort, but you wondered how far he would go to keep that promise.

“Asgore,” Gerson was in the hall, nodding toward the front door, “We should keep an eye out; no tellin’ who saw those three come here.”

You swallowed again and sank into a chair; you’d forgotten. How many of your neighbors had seen Muffet being brought into your house? If anyone saw it, there was no doubt in your mind that someone would say something, call the police...You’d lose Frisk, you’d lose the house, you’d lose everything-

You had to take a steadying breath, holding yourself tightly.

Everything was hanging in the balance, and it was slowly driving you mad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	22. Straws and Broken Backs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNINGS: **   
>  ** Mentions of Suicide **   
>  ** Darker themes and Angst **
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> I'm sorry this chapter didn't come out last night, like it was supposed to! Things went weird at my school and I ended up staying until 9pm, which was exhausting, and this chapter was only a partial way finished when I got home. I finally had to throw in the white towel and sleep around 4am, but I finished it and here it is!!
> 
> This chapter is sort of a brief stress relief for the reader (because as so many of you lovelies have pointed out, Reader is _not_ ok), and I absolutely SUCK at writing awkward dialogue of two people who don't want to talk/don't know what to say, so what can you do? Well, you write it anyway and hope no one notices 8D
> 
> And I just wanted to take a moment to tell you all that I love you; each of you are special and I'm glad you found your way here, no matter the circumstances or your feelings about the fanfic. If anyone ever needs to talk, the comments are open and my Ask is _**always**_ open if anyone feels they need a safe place to talk about problems  <3

Asgore had promised to have a few monsters keep a lookout, and the two newer humans--Devon and Gabbie--had also volunteered to keep watch, saying it was their fault that everyone was on edge.

You had reluctantly walked up the stairs, heading for your room. You just wanted sleep; nightmares be damned, you couldn’t stay awake another moment.

Sans watched you walk up the stairs discreetly from down the hall and rubbed his face. He can’t hardly keep his head on straight and it was started to take it's toll. He hoped you were getting sleep--everyone had noticed the dark circles under your eyes and the way your personality and soul seemed to dim a little more with each passing day. Sans blamed himself for a lot of it, but Undyne had guiltily revealed your continuing problem with nightmares.

He had been woken by that one--that night he ended up in your bed--but after that, he hadn’t noticed or heard anything. A chuckle left him bitterly; you were about as secretive as he was.

“Hey, nerd,” Undyne was at his shoulder, and he glanced at her.

“what’s up?”

“Go get some sleep,” Undyne stretched, “You and I have to be in top shape if something happens with those human police people.”

He nodded absently, and started for the stairs, already knowing sleep would be difficult to find. Asgore had informed him, Undyne and Alphys that you were removing yourself from the issue of their collars, and it gave him a lot of emotions to sort through. He still felt attracted to you--stronger now, even after the outburst the last time the two of you had been alone--and wondered if he’d still feel the same way after the metal around his neck was gone.

~*~

The work was never over, you found. Even in bed, you were already typing up possible outlines for your next book, reading and re-reading pages from a folder you had labeled ‘Story Ideas’, where you dumped those late night and showering thoughts that came to you and that you remembered well enough to write down. None of them caught your eyes, but that didn’t stop you from going through them for the third time in the past hour.

You rubbed your eyes when a yawn came out of you, trying to ward off the exhaustion you felt. Despite your first intention of coming up here to sleep, you found you couldn’t let yourself lay down without staring blankly at the ceiling, sleep escaping you in favor of endless thoughts and worries. Not wanting to torture yourself, you had opted to try and get work done...if only you could actually focus on work, rather than the worries that plagued you.

You pushed your laptop away, and buried your face in your hands, idly hoping that doing this would somehow make things easier, or somehow ease the stress that was pounding behind your eyes. It was insistent and slow, like the footsteps of someone with nowhere to be and all the time to get there.

Ice slipped into your stomach when you realized the pounding actually was a _sound_. A sound coming from your closet.

You found yourself staring at the door to your closet--was that just a trick of your eyes, seeing the door shudder with each pounding noise?--but you didn’t think you had the nerve to stand up and open the door. There was something...sinister about the feeling coming from the closet, as if opening it would unleash all the horrible things that you’d been trying to prevent all this time…

A sliver of shame hit you, and you felt your face burn. Why were you overreacting to this? It was probably Frisk or a monster who had hid in there for a good joke, but got bored of waiting for you to fall asleep. You mentally berated yourself for letting your overactive--and _tired_ \--imagination run away with you for a moment.

Somehow, that didn’t make it any easier to throw your legs over the side of your bed, or to move closer to the door. You found yourself swallowing hard as you got closer, and your fingers trembled a little as you reached for the handle. You took a steadying breath and put your hand on the handle.

Something was _very_ wrong.

As if you were no longer in control of your body, you felt yourself turn the handle of the closet and pull it open. The darkness in it was complete and invasive, almost seeming to absorb the light from your room, rather than be chased away by it. You took a couple steps back, feeling as if there was something or someone standing just on the other side of that darkness, just watching and waiting…

You felt your body stutter to a stop when you saw a familiar body hanging in the darkness, their feet dangling above the ground, a chair overturned behind them. Their shoes were worn and broken in until you weren’t sure what color they had originally been, but they had been _his_ favorite pair. Your eyes traced upwards, past the black sweatpants that covered his legs, and over the muscle shirt that he always slept in, and your eyes fell on his face.

On _Jeremy’s_ face.

You felt yourself gag, and you backed up until you hit the small bookshelf next to your window, knocking things down with a loud clatter, but your eyes were on Jeremy’s dull green eyes, and pale lifeless skin. Your eyes were on the rope around his neck--the only thing holding him up off the ground.

You felt yourself dry-heave, but nothing came up, not even any sound.

“Jer,” You murmured, sinking to the floor, your knees giving out.

You stared at him for a moment, trying to find anything-- _anything_ \--in your head to help you process what you were seeing, but all that was echoing in your head were the same words that you felt you had never really been able to escape:

_It’s all your fault._

You swallowed, but froze when you saw two small arms come to wrap around Jeremy’s middle, the arms covered in a green sweater with a yellow stripe around the biceps.

“Wh...who are you?” You felt sick watching the child--it _had_ to be a child, they were short and their arms were so small--hold onto Jeremy’s body.

“ _What’s my name?_ ” The child spoke, and their voice sent your heart up into your throat.

It was the same voice from all of your nightmares.

There was always an odd feeling you had come to associate with your nightmares. It was like an intense feeling of being watched, but there was something so familiar about it, like it was an old acquaintance, or someone who had known you once in a lifetime, long departed from yours.

That feeling was back full force as you watched the child walk around Jeremy, their arms dragging across his body almost lovingly before they moved to stand in front of him.

The first stark detail you saw was their bright red eyes, which looked so amused as they watched you in your place on the floor. A giggle escaped them before they crossed their arms behind their back and you found that Frisk was staring at you.

But it _wasn’t_ Frisk. It was just a child who looked so similar, so eerily the same, that you couldn’t reconcile the two without making Frisk come to stand next to this child. They could have been twins, for sure.

“Who are you? What are you doing here??”

The child didn’t answer; instead, they put all their weight onto one leg, the other kicking out in an exaggerated motion.

“ _Say my name_ ,” The child demanded again, their voice dropping in tone before they called your name, “ _Say my name, the same where_ he _did._ ”

The child thumbed back toward Jeremy, their grin extending so far that it began to turn upwards at the corner of their cheeks; you swallowed.

“Stop! Why are you doing this?”

When you ignored the child’s demand, they went very quiet with a glare turned in your direction. It sent a chill deep into your core, seeing those dark red pools glaring so evenly at you. Black ooze started to overtake their gaze and spill from the corner of their mouth, while their voice began deep and churning, sounding like the voice of someone who’d been forced to swallow broken glass.

“ _ **I am the demon that comes when called by name; it doesn’t matter when, it doesn’t matter where**_ ,” The child then laughed, a childish and almost innocent sound that made you want to dry heave again, “ _ **Call my name.**_ ”

You choked and shook your head; you didn’t even know their name, you didn’t…

Or did you?

You found yourself looking deep into the black pools of ooze that had overtaken their red gaze, and an eternity looked back into you. You felt a sob leave you, a name forcing itself into your mind, as if a hand was shoving it into your ear forcefully.

You didn’t want to say it, you didn’t even want to think it, but it slowly started to overtake your mind like the black ooze that was now dripping onto your carpet, coming from the child in the yellow and green sweater.

Your breath hitched, and your mouth opened, but not because you wanted them to. Something was taking hold of you and forcing you to move. Tears appeared and you tried to fight with everything inside of you, but nothing made your mouth close.

“Ch...Ch-”

The sound had started to leave your mouth, but suddenly, everything froze.

The child turned to look back into the closet so fast, their hair whipped around almost violently. You found yourself panting and staring into the darkness as well, knowing--sensing--that there was something there pushing through the shadows, _made_ of the shadows.

A small scream left you as you saw the edges of the closet start to waver, and long tentacle-like shadows started to grow out of the darkness.

“ _It Is No LoNgEr YoUr BuSiNeSs To MeDdLe In ThE aFfAiRs Of ThE sUrFaCe_ ,” The voice that spoke was a series of noises your brain couldn’t even register, but another scream left you when you saw a white face appear over Jeremy’s shoulder; it was skeletal, and distorted, glitching as if you were watching it on a poorly tuned television from the 1930’s, “ _CoMe, FaLlEn OnE, lEaVe ThIs PlAcE iN pEaCe_.”

The child had their sweet voice again, though the ooze on their face still continued to drip onto the carpet, “ _Stay out of this; you don’t even exist, so stop trying to interfere._ ”

A knife materialized into their hand and they swung with abandon, making you shriek again. The knife caught Jeremy across the ribs and side, though it had been obvious the target had been the face and the darkness itself. You screamed, your eyes focused on the wound that was spreading blood across Jeremy’s body and now the floor.

You started awake, screaming as you stared up at the ceiling.

The light to your room had never been turned off, though it was still full darkness outside. Your laptop had been knocked to the floor from your thrashing, but you felt like you were suffocating. You ripped a breath into your lungs, but you couldn’t keep it as a loud sob ripped out of you. You tried to get off the bed, a twist in your stomach making you realize that you were going to empty your stomach.

You managed to get to the small trash can you kept in the room, and knelt over it as you felt yourself heave whatever was in your stomach into the liner. It burned and went up the back of your throat and through your nose as you coughed and sobbed, only to heave again.

Absently, you noticed a warm hand on your back, and a hand moving your hair, but you could only cough and heave again; this time, nothing came out, but you sobbed, sagging into yourself.

When you screamed awake, Sans really did fall out of his bed this time.

He hadn’t been anywhere near sleep, or dozing; his skull had been buzzing with thoughts and worries, most about you. Just when he had settled with the idea that he wasn’t going to sleep, you had screamed, long and loud, sending his exhausted mind into a small panic as he tried to get to a standing position and got caught on the sheets.

There was a hush for a moment, while he untangled himself, but his attention was brought back to you when he heard loud sobs come through the wall.

When he finally made it out into the hallway, Asgore was just reaching the top of the stairs, and Undyne was stepping out of her and Alphys’s room. Undyne eyed Sans for a moment before glancing at your room.

“i got this,” Sans said, turning toward your room, “don’t worry about it, you two.”

Asgore looked a little uncomfortable, but nodded, turning to head back downstairs, even as the sound of you getting sick came through your door.

“Don’t fuck this up, nerd!” Undyne gave him a loud whisper, but before he could comment--not that he had one for her--she was back inside her bedroom and the door was closed.

Sans shook his head and turned to your room, opening it without hesitating and closing it behind him as he heard you get sick a second time. You were hunched over a trash can, your body shaking so badly that he wasn’t sure how you were hitting the trash can at all. He moved quickly to kneel next to you, one hand on your back, the other making sure no hair was getting in your way as you dry-heaved next.

Your sobs shook your body harder, and you moaned between them, trying to focus on anything but the soul-crushing fear and sickness that was trying to consume you. Something had been so _wrong_ about that dream, and you felt invaded, but all you could do was try to forget--which was easier as time passed and you started to forget the nightmare, piece by piece.

“shh, shh,” Sans’s voice broke through your mental walls and you found yourself coughing before you could even try to focus on him.

You tried to take a deep breath, but it made you feel sick. You tried to focus on him, but your head was pounding and that simply made you remember Jeremy. Another sob hit you, but it died in the back of your throat as you tried to breathe, tried to think of anything that would deliver you from this horrible nightmare…

“S-sans,” Your voice had no strength in it, but you still pushed the trash can away carefully before you covered your face with both of your hands, trying to remind yourself how to breathe, how to be ok; your voice was watery when you tried to use it again, “Wh-what are you…?”

“c’mon, pal,” He tried to keep his tone light, but his eyes were watching you carefully, as if he expected you to fall apart at any second, “we both know you aren’t ok.”

You froze and let your hands fall into your lap, your head bowing as you shook your head, but you pressed your lips together.

“Don’t…” You nearly choked on your words, “Don’t worry about me, Sans; you...probably don’t even want to be around me, after everything that’s happened and all…”

Sans blinked, “what’re you talkin ‘bout, buddy?”

You sighed and shook your head, “I...Sans, I…”

Words were failing you, so you simply pressed your lips together, and close your eyes. You didn’t want to focus on the taste of bile, but you found that you didn’t really have a choice while your eyes were closed.

Sans realized what you meant almost as soon as you refused to say more. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking anywhere but at you for long seconds while he tried to find the words he needed to say.

He said your name gently, almost too quietly for you to know that he called you. You swallowed--regretting it almost instantly because of the horrible aftertaste--before you opened your eyes and turned only enough to see him out of the corner of your eye.

“so...this whole situation has been pretty messed up,” He rubbed the back of his neck again, his eyes searching the carpet, as if the words were scattered on the floor and he could pick the right ones easily, and yet still managing to understate the gravity of the situation, “but i gotta tell you, i _do_ wanna be around you. you’re not like any other human i’ve ever met, and i won’t lie, i think you’re attractive and i worry about you, buddy.”

You turned to look at him fully, your eyes wide with surprise, “Wh-what? Why would you worry about me at all?”

The question spilled out of your mouth before you could think of it, and he answered just as quickly.

“cause i care about you, obviously,” He shrugged.

You stared at him for a long moment before a swell of emotion hit your chest, hard. Leave it to Sans; you were convinced he was the only one who could say something like that so casually while still looking so nervous. His eyes shifted from you, not returning to you until you spoke again.

Unfortunately, his statement seemed to break a dam inside of you.

You sniffled, tears gathering in the corners of your eyes, rolling down in fat drops that fell quickly and in huge numbers. You hiccuped and weakly said, “I...I can’t…”

His eyes snapped back to yours, worry crossing his face, “h-hey…”

Before he could say anymore, you broke down.

“I-I can’t handle any more,” You sobbed, covering your eyes as you cried.

You spilled everything through tears and hiccups. Sans learned about the stress of Frisk running away only days after their parents’ funeral, and of their being missing for over a year--mostly due to CPS dragging their feet in finding you, after Frisk resurfaced with the monsters of the Underground--and of the trouble it was to get custody of your chibling. You told him of what Thomas said to you, about his boss looking for reasons to take Frisk away.

You sobbed through telling him about the pressure you felt with taking the Resistance in, on top of everything else that had started up; troubles with him, the appearance of the nightmares. You even told him about how you were still mourning the death of your sister, but Frisk seemed to have just let it go, so soon…

“A-and now I’m dreaming of Jeremy,” You hiccuped and tried to wipe your eyes only to have the tears replaced quickly, “I can’t let it go, I know it's my fault, but I can’t-”

Sans sat and listened to everything, letting you pour it out between the two of you. He felt his eyes go dark as he pictured you at the bottom of a very tall pile of responsibility, struggling to breath. He tried to take a steadying breath, but then you mentioned Jeremy--had you said that name before? Sans reached out to put a hand on your shoulder.

“who’s jeremy, pal?” Sans asked it quietly, hoping to not disturb your train of thought.

“I...Jeremy was an old ex-boyfriend of mine…” You looked down; it wasn’t technically a lie, all things considered….”

“c’mon, don’t back down on me now,” He reached up and gently dragged the back of his hand along your cheek.

You had a mental flash from your nightmare--the way he hung there, staring at you no matter where you moved, dead but seeing you. _blaming_ you…

A fresh wave of tears appeared in your eyes.

“J...Jeremy and I met...not long after I moved out of my parent’s house,” You started.

This was an old wound, one you didn’t want to pull back the bandage for; one that you knew you had left to fester and get infected. You didn’t care; as far as you were concerned, you deserved it, but now…

Now you had to tell Sans the whole truth, or it would eat you alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	23. The Flashback, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNING: **   
>  ** Depictions of an Abusive Relationship, **
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> So, these next few chapters are already pretty emotionally draining for me to write, heh...I have my own issues and triggers and whatnot, but this is the story I wanted to tell, so I hope everyone will be ok with chapters coming out a little later than normal. I promise I'll try to get back onto my normal 'one chapter a day' schedule, but these next ones are kinda...well, you'll see, hopefully.
> 
> Thank you, everyone :3 You've all been so supportive, and I've done my best to answer every review I've recieved. I don't know how long I can keep that up for, and I hope no one gets mad if/when I have to stop.
> 
> My ask on my tumblr is still open, even if its just for you lovelies to come and chat with me~
> 
> NOTE: These next few chapters are going to be written a little differently. Call it an experiment, but the italicized paragraphs are things that are happening in the present, while the normal text is basically the memory of the Reader.

_”J...Jeremy and I met...not long after I moved out of my parent’s house,” You started._

You tried to ignore the heavy feeling in your chest as you opened another box. It was labeled for ‘living room’ but it wasn’t your handwriting, nor was anything in the box meant for your living room. You didn’t really even _have_ anything for your living room.

The one bedroom apartment made for a nice upgrade from living with your parents, but only because it had more space. The fact that you parents were unrelenting in their harping you to go to college...well, everyone needs to get out on their own sometime,right?

It wasn’t a comforting thought; you felt hurt that your parents refused to even try to believe that you could make something of your writing. They didn’t even want you to try.

It had been a simple rule: you can live in their house for as long as you needed…as long as you were attending college.

A simple rule, but one that stung when they told you that they would rather you move out, since you didn’t want to comply with their wishes.

_”ouch…” Sans winced._

_“Yeah, they didn’t even offer to let me get a job so that I could pay rent and stay in their house,” You shrugged, looking at the ground, “Now that I’m older, I’m pretty sure to them, I was being rebellious and after a little while out in the wide open world on my own, and I’d come moving back, saying I’d take college over paying rent any day, but…”_

_“but writing was worth more than that,” He nodded._

_“Exactly.”_

You sighed, your hands dropping to your sides for the moment. A small, childish part of you wanted to say how unfair it was, but the truth of it all was…

You were scared.

Your parents had barely given you time to find a job before they were helping you move out the door and into your new apartment, but when it came to unpacking, making this place feel like a _home_...? You had no idea how to do that, or what you would even need to make this place feel like anything other than an empty apartment you were squatting in.

On top of that, it was quiet. You had always heard apartment living was supposed to be wrought with noisy neighbors, potential for uncaring and rude people living right on the other side of the walls, but there wasn’t any sound at all. You tried to reason that it was the middle of the day on a Wednesday, and that everyone was at work, but that didn’t bring any comfort.

The cell phone sitting on the counter near you was suddenly looking so tempting. How quickly would you be able to back out of the lease, let your parents take care of it all, and just go to school for a journalism degree. Weren’t you just being stubborn? How could going to college hurt, after all?

You started to reach out for the phone, if only to stare at it's black surface and try to talk yourself out of calling--but you were going to call eventually anyway, right? How could you possibly expect to survive with a minimum wage job--one that you calculated could pay rent, but not much else--and still be an author?

Forget authoring--how would you even find time to _write?_

When you reached out, you accidently knocked over the thick folder that was sitting on a nearby box, placed there in a hurry while you were trying to help your parents move your stuff into the living room. You started, watching with mild annoyance as loose leaf pages of notebook paper spread across the floor. One completed story and the start of two more were now a mess on the floor.

Annoyance took your focus from the cellphone on the counter, to kneeling down onto the floor and starting to gather the papers, and trying to sort them back into their proper order. You paused at the top of a page, scanning it slowly before settling back on your heels.

You remembered this scene.

You wrote it in a desperate need for release after the worst school week in your high school career.

Being part of 4 different clubs--at your mother’s insistence; they would look good to a college, after all--and being head of the Student Governing body--at your father’s insistence; he raised a strong independant woman who was a capable leader, after all--plus final tests in classes, trying to maintain your 4.0 GPA, and helping to organize the Senior Graduating Party, plus promising your sister you’d help her with her final Science Project for her own graduation project--she’d been held back a year because of an illness last year--you had been up on Monday near 4am, and been so busy that you hadn’t even opened your notebooks that you used for writing. You hadn’t even looked at them.

Then, Thursday night, even though you were exhausted and could have had a full 8 hours of sleep--you had averaged 4 or five hours a night since Monday--you sat at your desk and pulled your notebook out and wrote.

And you wrote, and you wrote. Long hand writing had always been a calming exercise for you, even as you felt your fingers cramp and the side of your middle finger first ache, and then go numb from the constant rubbing. For hours, you sat and poured all your stress and all of your energy into this labor of love.

_You paused when you felt Sans gently grab your hand and study your fingers. You pointed to the callous that was still on your finger, even now that you had been using a laptop for writing for many years._

_“you, uh...you really do love writing, huh?” Sans chuckled, his thumb gently going over the callous in small circles, his eyes studying the rest of your hand curiously, but he made no motion to explore or ask._

_“Well, yeah,” You felt a small blush, but didn’t stop him as you continued your story._

You had been exhausted the next morning, but that Friday had been better than any other day. Energy for hours and happiness to boot.

A sigh left you as you simply collected all the pages from the floor and stacked them on the counter next to your phone. You stared at it again, but the temptation to call was gone. Yeah, you could go to college and get a degree, have a stable job and _maybe_ find time for your book, but that wouldn’t be on your terms. That wouldn’t be you or your writing.

You were about to get back to unpacking when you heard the sound of someone knocking on your window--on the _fourth_ floor. You spun around and blinked as you saw two men standing outside your window, one holding a small casserole dish, the other waved.

“A-ah…?” You froze for a moment, before you slowly made your way over to the window, nervous and unsure of just _what_ you were seeing.

The two men smiled, seeing you coming closer; the taller one--this was Jeremy, tanned skin, dark hair and the brightest green eyes you had ever seen--called through the glass, “Hi! We’re your fire-escape neighbors! We’re down a floor!”

The other man was still taller than you, but only just; he was thin and scrawny, and pale, like he never went out into the sun. He had a smile too, but it was shy and uncertain as you slide the window open to the right, along it's track.

“Uh, hi,” you glanced between them, trying not to think about how they were two men, and you were completely alone in your apartment, “So...fire-escape neighbors…?”

“Oh yeah,” Jeremy smiled, “We’re friends with most of the apartments connected to this fire-escape-”

“Except that old lady on the top floor,” the other guy said quickly.

Jeremy chuckled, “Yeah, she’s a total bitch.”

You blinked at the two of them for a moment before leaning out and looking up and then down the fire-escape that they were currently standing on.

A warm feeling started in your gut and you finally offered them both a warm smile, and your name, “It’s nice to meet you both...would you like to come inside?”

_”so, when you met jeremy,” Sans started slowly, “he was already dating someone?”_

_“Yeah,” You nodded, taking a shaky breath and wiping your face of the last of your tears, “His name was Steve, and at first I thought...well, I thought he was ok.”_

_Sans glanced at you, a dark look on his face, “what made him not ‘ok’, buddy?”_

_“Well, it was small things at first,” You shrugged, looking down, “Like how easily he would just tell Jeremy to ‘shut up’ and then it was him just snapping at him all the time…”_

_“But it got worse.”_

4 months passed, and you managed to find a second job, which shortened your time to write even more--still, you plugged away, even if you could only get an hour in to write, you still wrote. The first job was as a hostess for a small mom and pop restaurant that was only a few blocks from your apartment; the second job was as late night barista for a poetry club that you had to take a bus to get to. Walking home wasn’t ever pleasant--because the busses stopped running at 10pm and your shift at the poetry club started at 9:30 at night--but it wasn’t in a bad neighborhood, so you didn’t worry.

Today had been a rare day where you were off from both jobs--the barista job was consistent, Thursday through Sunday, 9:30 until 2 in the morning, but the job as a hostess was a job that changed availability, so sometimes you went weeks without a real day off, sometimes you got one every week--and you had decided to spend it writing and cleaning. A few things were still packed in boxes, but after you had managed to set some money aside for a few bookshelves and a couch, this place started to feel more like a home, and less like an empty space.

You were just settling on what you wanted to cook for yourself--because eating out was something you never did anymore, unless your parents were inviting you out to dinner or lunch--when you heard the tapping of something on glass.

Jeremy had made it a habit of coming down the fire-escape at least once a week when he knew you were home to check in on you. He was just that sort of person. He worried about other people and wanted them to know someone cared, even if it was just a small act of kindness.

So, you didn’t think anything of it when you turned to face the window, and walked toward the glass to let him in.

You froze when you saw the black eye that was still forming.

“F-Fuck, Jer!” You hissed, opening the window wide enough for him to step in, hunching his head as he slipped inside, “What happened??”

_You paused, swallowing as you remembered that night and all the emotions that stemmed from it._

_“sounds like jeremy was his own punchline,” Sans sounded quiet and very disturbed; and you didn’t blame him; his pun fell a little flat, but even you couldn’t find it in you to smile at it._

_“According to Jeremy, they got into a fight about money and alcohol,” You ran a hand through your hair, “More accurately, how Steve spent way too much and drank too much.”_

_“sounds like that wasn’t a one time thing.”_

_“It wasn’t, and it lasted way too long after that night,” You sighed, “I...I guess I just haven’t dated someone that I would let do that to me, just for the trade-off of being with them…Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Jeremy was dumb or anything; I honestly believe he loved Steve, I just…”_

_“you just have the clarity of both hindsight and not being in love in that situation,” Sans supplied easily, “you could say you avoided that particular punchline.”_

_You snorted, glaring at him lightly, “You used that one twice, cheater.”_

_Sans shrugged, “can’t win ‘em all.”_

_There was a pause before Sans spoke again, “how did you and jeremy end up together?”_

Three months passed after the first time you saw Jeremy come to you with that black eye, and the last time you saw him--with a patch of hair missing near his ear and crying because he had found out that Steve was cheating on him with not one person, but _three_ \--you had nearly snapped and wanted to take a baseball bat up to their apartment and fix the problem with Steve yourself. Not that you would actually do something like that, but your heart was hurting for the taller man. Hearing you rant about it, Jeremy had promised he would kick Steve out.

Jeremy had promised you twice before that he would kick Steve out, so when he’d made the same promise two days ago, you had been skeptical. Still, you wanted to check on him today anyway, since you promised him that you would.

Their apartment was the one directly below yours, and you slid out of your window onto the metal grating of the fire-escape. You glanced up to make sure the rude woman on the top floor wasn’t home--if she was, she normally left the window open and blared her music because she hated the sound of people walking on the fire-escape; also fun, she hated fun, you were convinced--before you walked around and down a flight of metal stairs.

From what you could tell, all the apartments were the same, so when you came to the window, you were looking into Jeremy’s living room.

You didn’t see him, but you knocked on the glass anyway, hoping it was loud enough to reach the bedroom.

A few moments later, just when you were about to head back upstairs to try again later, Jeremy appeared from the hallway. He...he didn’t look so good.

There was a bruise on his cheek, and with his shirt off, you could see a scratch--a cut?--on his chest. There were other bruises, but they looked like they were yellowing, old and faded. You felt your breath catch in your chest, and you couldn’t find words, even when Jeremy opened the window to greet you.

“Hey, thanks for coming over,” He breathed, seeming uncomfortable and relieved all at the same time.

You glanced past him, maybe to at least try to find words, before you finally said, “So….is he gone?”

“Yeah…” Jeremy’s voice fell a little, but he moved so you could come through the window, “Yeah, I finally kicked him out.”

“For good?”

Jeremy didn’t answer at first, instead moving to the couch that was pushed against one wall and sitting heavily into it.

“...for good,” He finally said, his voice firm, but quiet.

You followed him to the couch and gently put a hand on his shoulder, “I know it hurts, Jeremy; please don’t be mad at me, I just...I couldn’t keep seeing him hurt you.”

Jeremy glanced up at you before you noticed a few tears start to well up in his eyes, “I...I know, but...Steve...I love him; I still love him, but I know I shouldn’t-”

His body started to tremble and his hands came up to cover his face.

Your heart broke for him and you sat on the arm of the couch so you could pull him into a hug. Jeremy buried his face into your shoulder, wrapping his arms so tightly around you that despite the situation, you couldn’t stop yourself from noticing the way his body just seemed to wrap around yours, and how his warmth seeped through your clothes and into your skin.

You gently stroked the back of his neck, your other arm holding him tightly while you let him cry. Jeremy openly showed his emotions, and so crying wasn’t new to you, but this...seeing him break down after taking everything you had seen him go through with a smile…? You felt tears start to gather in your own eyes and you had to take a deep steadying breath in order to keep yourself from crying with him.

Right now, he needed a steady hand; a rock to stand on. You could do that for your friend; he’d been closer to you than family, closer than anyone else...You just wanted him to find happiness again.

_You had to pause when you got to Jeremy’s tears. You had seen so many from him, and not all of them were good. Too many times, you had caused them; too many times, you hadn’t comforted him the way you knew he’d needed you._

_The silence stretched out until Sans prompted you, “how long after that did you two start dating?”_

_“Uh….we actually didn’t even think to date each other at first,” You shrugged, “He wanted to swear off of relationships and while, yeah, I had a crush on him at the time, I also didn’t want to push him into anything, just because of my own feelings.”_

_“i’m starting to see a pattern with you,” Sans chuckled._

_You shrugged, a small smile appearing, “Well, no one can say I’m inconsistent….”_

_“you’re stalling now,” Sans said, nudging you gently with his elbow._

_“Yeah, maybe,” You admitted quietly, “I just...this is...this is so hard…”_

_“we don’t have to talk about it, if you can’t handle it,” Sans offered._

_“No, I need to tell_ someone _,” You closed your eyes and pulled your knees up to your chest, resting your head on them while you built up the courage to continue._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	24. The Flashback, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I have another recommendation for you, my lovelies~~<3
> 
> [Halo-Heavy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6350239/chapters/14547355) by the author [onthewingsoficarus](http://archiveofourown.org/users/onthewingsoficarus/pseuds/onthewingsoficarus)
> 
> This is an _excellent_ fanfiction, with wonderful pacing and quite the adorable Sans/Reader pairing, probably my favorite depiction of the pairing, hands down.
> 
> So, about this chapter: This is part 2 and I"m thinking there will only be one more in Poor Jeremy's Arc before we get back to some Sans and Reader fluff, because things in the plot are about to get a little harder. Well, we'll see, anyway, haha.

Jeremy was a mess without Steve, even if that scumbag was horrible for Jeremy. More than once, you had to go downstairs just to make sure he was still alive. He worried you, with that beautiful emotional soul of his; it was obvious he loved harder and deeper than anyone you had ever met.

_”how old was Jeremy during all this?” Sans suddenly asked._

_You were idly doing something with your hands--picking at the strands of the carpet, or the hem of your pants--and didn’t glance up when you answered._

_“He was almost 27,” You answered._

_Sans paused to contemplate this before he said, “and you were, what, 18, 19?”_

_“I turned 19 a few weeks before Jeremy finally kicked Steve out,” You answered, “I thought I was so smart, that I always knew what was best...it's...it's certainly why…”_

_You paused and forced yourself to continue your story._

You had started to make it a habit to walk down the fire-escape--or take the normal way down, if the rude woman was home--every morning, to make sure he actually ate _something_ during the day, since most of my afternoons and nights were booked. You still tried to see him more than once a day, and it was through this that you learned of his love for painting; both digital and in the small corner of his walk-in closet that he can draped as well as he could to protect it from paint splatters.

Almost a month had passed in this way and today, you knocked on the glass of the window before letting yourself in--Jeremy had started to leave it open for you, since you came every single day at least once--but you had to pause to listen. Was that...crying?

It wasn’t unusual to find Jeremy in tears, since he kicked Steve out; especially on days where Steve had tried to call, or show up at the front door unexpectedly, but this sounded...different.

Instead of the extended pained moans, Jeremy sounded like he had been crying long enough to start hiccuping and trying to calm himself down.

You moved through the apartment slowly, pressing your lips together; it was hard to see Jeremy cry, but harder was that you felt completely unequipped to actually comfort him. Too often, you hesitated in holding him because you didn’t want him to think or know you had a crush. More often than not, he’d turn from cold to hot to cold anyway; first wanting you to leave him alone because of how embarrassed he was at crying in front of someone, then wanting you to hold him tightly because he couldn’t handle being alone, then again wanting you to leave so he could cry alone.

Each time you visited, you weren’t sure which version of Jeremy’s grief you’d be seeing.

“Jer?” You called quietly before you knocked on his bedroom door and then slowly pushed it open, “Jer, where are you?”

The room stood empty, but you could see the door to his closet cracked open and the light on.

You knocked on the closet door, but didn’t open it, not yet.

“Jer, wanna talk about it?” You called, leaning against the wall next to the door so you could peek into the crack; you couldn't see anything except hanging clothes, but you still looked.

Jeremy hiccuped again, but you heard him take a deep breath; you could almost imagine him wiping his eyes.

Then you heard a loud CRSH of something heavy falling and you nearly leapt off the wall.

“Jeremy!” You turned and yanked the door open.

“No, don’t-”

You froze.

There were about four canvases lined against the back wall of the closet, and one on the easel. All four of them were of you.

You recognized one of them--it was almost an exact replica of a picture Jeremy had snapped of you not long after you had met him. The other three were fantastical images, one of you in a flowing white sundress, surrounded by sunflowers, another of you looking over your shoulder, on the roof of the apartment building with hundreds of city lights in the background.

The last one made you swallow. You were wearing a long navy blue dress that hung off your shoulders, on a dark background--in a field at night?--with fireflies painted like stars all around, their small lights reflecting off of your skin and the dress, giving the picture an almost unearthly feeling.

“J...Jeremy…?” You glanced over at him and saw him sitting on his heels. He’d started picking up a bucket of art supplies--them falling over must have been what you heard falling over.

His face was flushed, and his eyes downcast. You admitted to yourself that it had been a couple of weeks since you’d been in here to see his paintings--the rest of the ones you knew he had made were leaning against another corner, stacked neatly in order--but to think that these were the ones that he’d been working on….

“Go ahead, call me a creep,” Jeremy said, looking miserable.

You blinked slowly glancing from the pictures to Jeremy, “Why would I do that?”

He looked up at you so fast, you almost winced, “W...I mean, you don’t think I’m being a creep? Just painting you like a muse without asking??”

_”How could I think he was a creep?” You had a silly smile on your face, “I thought it was so sweet, and the paintings were so beautiful; he really was so talented…”_

_“i can see he’s still paining that smile on your face,” Sans winked, though his grin fell a little; just how wrapped up were you still?_

_You snorted at his pun and had to lean into his shoulder to get the following laughter under control. Sans’s previous thought was banished almost as soon as he thought it._

“Why would I think you’re creepy? These are _beautiful_ ,” You took a few quiet steps closer, your eyes moving from him to the paintings.

Jeremy watched the way your face blushed and changed as you got closer to the paintings. He felt himself swallow thickly, and he pushed himself to his feet, not sure what to say or even if he should.

“I...You’re beautiful, so I couldn’t help but make these,” He admitted, glancing away while he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Wh-who, me?” You laughed nervously, “I dunno...you made me look gorgeous, but-”

“You’re beautiful!” Jeremy took a step forward, his voice firmer, but quiet; his eyes were looking at you in earnest, and his hands were balled into fists. It gave you a sense of childishness from him and made you smile.

You felt your blush grow and stammered out a thank you, but you could still see the tear tracks on his face. Your hand moved almost on it's own as you reached up to wipe his cheek. He looked so...defeated, even as he stubbornly argued with you.

“Jer,” You felt yourself say quietly, “Talk to me, why were you in here crying?”

Jeremy froze, his eyes locking with yours for long minutes before his lips pressed together and he glanced away. Your hand fell and you swallowed. Had that been a push too far? You wanted to take it back, but he was suddenly looking into your eyes again and he was crying.

He said your name weakly, taking a shaky breath before he could actually speak, “I...I find myself completely taken by you; your so nice and supportive, and you don’t even make fun of me for still having feelings for Steve, you just remind me how bad he is for me…”

You felt your breath stop in your chest, but you just swallowed and let him continue, very aware of the tears still pouring down his face.

“I...I’m afraid to fall in love with you,” He suddenly said, his head bowing, “You and Steve are a lot alike; it's hard to pinpoint, but you both just… _feel_ the same to me.”

You tried not to be offended that Jeremy compared you to his abusive ex, and it was easier to do once you looked at his face and saw that he was just trying to get all of his feelings out. He was _desperate_ for you to understand.

_”you both might have had the same soul color,” Sans supplied quietly, “this jeremy guy seemed to be very empathetic to people, and he could’ve just instinctually known people’s colors; or felt them.”_

_You started, “But...Steve was so…”_

_“even if he had the color of yellow for justice,” Sans explained quietly, “it's subjective justice; something might have happened in his life that convinced him that the scales always tipped to his wants was fair and just.”_

_Despite wanting to ignore his logic, it made a lot of sense._

“And I don’t want to hurt anymore; everytime I try, I just hurt,” He put his fists against his eyes now, “I can’t...Please, don’t let me fall in love with you, i can’t...I don’t want to break all over again….”

Jeremy’s eyes were full of tears, his voice was raw and pleading--begging you to not let him fall for you. He was so tired of getting hurt and you could see it in his body, the way he hunched and slumped back against the wall, so tired of not knowing where he was standing and he just wanted a goddamn break already…

“But I love you,” You’d said, emotions thick in your voice; and you had meant it.

_”and you knew you loved him, just like that?” Sans had been completely silent, not even moving as you leaned against him telling him about your past._

_You nodded, “I knew it then, as easily as I could tell you the color of the sky; Jeremy was beautiful person, soft and caring where others were often closed and guarded. I think it was why he was hurt so often, and by so many people.”_

_“it sounds like_ emote _have been pretty deep into you, too,” Sans leaned his head back to study the ceiling._

_You groaned before a snort left you, “Geez, Sans…”_

_A quiet settled over the room for a few long moments before you closed your eyes, losing some of your nerve now that you were getting closer to the hardest part._

_“I...You probably don’t wanna hear about my ex; what a mood killer, right?” You sat up to give him space, “I mean, you and I...we’re not...I mean…”_

_Sans turned his head to watch your flushed face and the tired uncertainty he saw in them._

_“keep talking, sweetheart,” He breathed the pet name and you froze, glancing at him before nodding slowly._

_“...Alright.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	25. The Flashback, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNING: **   
>  ** Character death **   
>  ** Heavy mentions of depression **   
>  ** Suicide **
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> This chapter was draining; both mentally and physically. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say, but somewhere near the end of this chapter, I figured it out, lol.
> 
> I love you all, please don't forget that. The comments are always open for talking, and I answer all of my asks if anyone needs an shoulder or simply wants to talk with me.

_You tried to sniffle and groaned when you felt your nose stuffed and fighting against you. Before Sans could ask what was wrong, you turned and reached under your bed where you knew there to be a box of tissues from the last time you got sick. The box bumped your fingers and you grabbed it before you could accidently knock it further under the bed._

_You blew your nose, apologizing and throwing the tissue into the nearby trashcan._

_The smell and the realization hit you at the same time._

_“Ugh,_ gross _,” You sighed, carefully reaching toward it and closing the bag, “How embarrassing, let me get this out-”_

_Before you could move, Sans had an arm around your shoulders, settling you back into your place next to him before you saw a flash of blue in his left eye._

_“Sans, what-” You froze when you looked back at your trash can and saw the bag had disappeared._

_“don’t worry about it,” Sans shrugged, “problem solved, no need to tie your stomach up in knots.”_

_You blinked, too stunned to laugh at his pun, “How…?”_

_“nuh-uh,” He looked at you with one eye lazily closed, “you have a story to get off your chest.”_

_You paused, but nodded, though you glanced at the trash can again as you continued._

Despite Jeremy telling you that he couldn’t let himself return your feelings, you still asked him to be your boyfriend. That first month had been hard--Jeremy walked on eggshells with you, even though you never said anything against him or his habits, and he apologized for everything, including things that he couldn’t even begin to be responsible for--and more than once you had wondered if asking him out had pushed him too far from his comfort zone.

Time passed, one month turned into 6 and then into a year. You both moved into his apartment, despite your own reservations about not being on the lease--one quirk that Jeremy had always had; apparently Steven hadn’t been on their lease either--but the more time the two of you spent together, the easier Jeremy seemed to breathe. Wasn’t that worth it?

Jeremy made money through his art and donations from fanart of popular anime and manga characters, most lewd and made you blush, and while there were dips in his income unexpectedly, you found that he never seemed to worry about money with you, especially since you had insisted on keeping your own bank account.

10 months in, and that's when Jeremy started relaxed enough around you for you to see the things that worried you, more than his determination to let himself get hurt in the name of love…

It was his utter disillusionment with life in general.

“Oh dear subscriber,” He said one day in a sing-song voice while he scribbled on his tablet, “You want me to make this character with _huge_ complicated outfit into something I draw on a regular basis? How about I kill myself, yeah?”

You had been startled, but when you’d asked him about it, he chuckled and shooed your concerns away, saying it was just his usual nihilism at play, but you wondered.

It was more than just jokes he would tell, too. Every once in awhile, you’d come home from work and find him sitting on the kitchen floor. The first time, you had rushed in and nearly hyperventilated as you asked him if he was hurt or sick. He’d laughed you off, called you cute and picked himself up. Ignoring your worries seemed to give him a little pep in his step, but it was clear to you how he was hiding behind it so that you wouldn’t push into his darkness.

Seeing him on the floor in the kitchen always gave you a chill and it wasn’t until the fourth time you found him like that, that it clicked. He was sitting under the drawer where the sharp knives were kept. There was never one in his hand, and you often discreetly checked him for self-harm scars, but never found any.

_You sighed and rubbed your face, “But I only ever saw him completely naked when he was in the shower, behind the shower curtain, so I really didn’t_ know _for sure-”_

_Sans stopped you, “wait, wait; you two lived together, but never…”_

_He made a rocking motion with his hand before saying, “...woke your neighbors?”_

_You averted your eyes, feeling a deep red blush settled on your cheeks, “W-well, Jeremy was asexual, and I had been a virgin up to that point, so not having sex was as easy as just continuing my life the same way as I always had.”_

_“are you still?”_

_“S-still what?” The blush grew, but you kept your eyes averted._

_Humor entered his voice, “you totally are...wow.”_

_“I’m ignoring that,” You then continued with your story._

Your one year anniversary with Jeremy passed, and for the most part, you were able to respond to his darker tendencies with love and gentle assurance, but then he started to really scare you.

The first time was so out of the blue, you’d almost forced him to call a suicide hotline.

Jeremy and you had been sitting on the couch, watching nothing in particular on the TV while the two of you talked about small parts of your day. When the news had flashed by with a small blurb about some civil war in some other part of the world--and showed the pictures of families searching for children, children looking for siblings and the utter chaos and bloodshed of it all--Jeremy had stopped talking abruptly to listen, giving the news anchor an empty half-lidded stare for far too long.

“You know,” He said slowly, still looking at the TV, and you felt the first wells of fear touch the bottom of your stomach, “If it weren’t for you, I don’t think I’d mind being dead.”

Tears had sprung up instantly in your eyes and you had pulled away almost violently.

“Jer, what the hell?”

Jeremy had blinked, surprised before shrugging, “What? It’s true.”

“That’s not even funny!”

“It's not supposed to be,” He gave you a weird look, “I was just telling you what was on my mind, or should I stop doing that?”

You felt a few tears fall, “Don’t even think that! But how could you just let go of life so _easily_?”

“What does it have to do with easy??” He snarled, making you jump and lean away from him, “This is just how I feel, it's just _normal_ , so stop making it feel like I’m weird or something!”

You were at a loss for words, and fear and anger bubbled in the pit of your stomach until you felt physically ill. You swallowed and nodded.

“S...sorry, I just,” You glanced down, “You just...caught me by surprise, is all…”

Jeremy seemed appeased by that and dropped the subject.

After that, it got to be more frequent--he would just be sitting there, sometimes even after a happy moment of the both of you laughing--he would just say, out of the blue, that life sucked, but you kept him here. Jeremy always acted afterward as if he’d said the sweetest thing, like he was complimenting you as an anchor to this life.

Pressure started to build after that.

Every fight, every time you wanted to walk away and cool your temper, he’d throw those same words at you.

“You’re the only reason I’m alive, so don’t go!”

If you even tried to continue the fight after, he’d break down, accusing you of not loving him and wanting him to die. Whether or not you felt you were heard, or whatever emotional state you were in, you would usually drop it then and there. Why wouldn’t you? You _did_ love him, and you wanted him to feel heard and important…

Even as you started to feel like you were drowning.

_You paused and swallowed, looking at your knees, “D...don’t get the wrong idea; Jeremy was so kind and caring that I was usually to blame for fights anyway-”_

_“do you really think that?”_

_You froze and looked at him, your throat feeling tight, “What do you mean…?”_

_Sans leaned back on his hands, but he spoke easily, “just because he needed help, and was hurting doesn’t mean he was blameless.”_

_You looked down at the carpet and sighed gently, “I...I don’t know what to think sometimes.”_

_The air was silent while you let your thoughts process, and Sans let you have that time._

_“I just feel...like....if I had been a better girlfriend, or if I had just kept my mouth shut, or just swallowed my feelings, Jeremy wouldn’t have…” You choked and you shook your head when you saw Sans turn to look at you._

_You pressed onward, if only so you could get to the end._

You and Jeremy were getting into more and more fights, and no matter who started it, you always felt that it was your fault.

You came home at 3am, and he hadn’t done the dishes like he promised? The fight was your fault because you couldn’t let the little things go.

Jeremy snapped at you because you forgot about doing the laundry? The fight was your fault because you weren’t acting responsible enough.

He never outright blamed you; more often than not, he wouldn’t assign blame at all. It was just the words he always chose to use. _You_ couldn’t be trusted, with the big or little things. _You_ didn’t understand your feelings, while he never even asked about yours.

Even when you could get a word in edgewise, he’d simply ignore you, or tell you that you were wrong, and then that was the end of that discussion. Despite the fights and the heavy weight you felt on your shoulders, you never cried. Either you were too prideful in the moment of the argument, or they would start to burn your eyes and you’d call it quits there, simply so you could go lock yourself into the bathroom with some excuse or another.

You were pretty sure that if things would have continued like that, without changing, you would have started to think and feel exactly like Jeremy. You were already absorbing his strange sense of humor, constantly saying suicide was a cheap alternative to healthcare just to get a laugh out of Jeremy, even though it made your stomach twist every time you did.

But something changed, at least for a little while.

Jeremy started to paint in the closet again, and not for anyone but himself. It seemed to be a release; his first one was simply angry brushstrokes, overlapping in unusual ways and absolutely destroying the brush in question. The second was a picture of black paint splatters before he took a handful of red paint and smeared it overtop of them.

He started to talk easier about the dark thoughts that passed through his head, usually without even mentioning how you were the only thing keeping him alive, which was a small relief, though you knew he still believed it. You both went on more dates--which had all but stopped while he was in his emotional slump--and laughed more freely with each other. You cuddled more, and he even started talking about selling a few of his paintings to earn a little extra money, maybe for a car, maybe for a vacation so that the two of you could just _forget_ life for a while…

_”did he sell them all?”_

_You shook your head, sighing, “He was too attached to any that had me in them--which I think could have sold well enough--and the others just...didn’t sell.”_

_Sans paused, “...can I hazard a guess?”_

_Your eyes found his and you raised a brow, “About what…?”_

_“things started to get bad again after that?”_

_You cleared your throat, “...Worse than before.”_

Jeremy cursed and threw his phone, absolutely threw it, down the hallway before he came to sit on the couch with you.

You pressed your lips together and knew you’d be walking on eggshells if you opened your mouth. Still you couldn’t help but ask out of concern.

“Who was that?”

“My _editor_ ,” He hissed, covering his eyes.

You sucked in a breath, “For that webcomic you’ve been writing?”

He growled, “Yes, the one I apparently _wasted_ the last 6 months of my _life_ drawing for!”

His leg shot out and disrupted the coffee table and you jumped.

“Jer! Calm down…”

“Don’t! Don’t start that,” He snapped, “I don’t wanna be calm! I wanna blow my fucking brains out!”

You gasped, actually putting a hand up to your mouth, the visceral image making you feel sick to your stomach.

There was a beat of silence before he continued, “Maybe I should just do it and get it over with.”

“ _STOPPIT_.”

He jumped at your loud hiss, his eyes finding yours. You were holding him with a glare, your fists clenched in your lap as you spoke again, “Just stop! I don’t want to think about you killing yourself, _please_.”

Before you knew it, he was standing, glaring down at you.

“There you go! Trying to throw my feelings away because they make you uncomfortable!”

“I’m not throwing anything away!” You stood too, feeling too vulnerable with him standing over you like that.

“Why do you always _pretend_ to care and then run away when my feelings get to real for you? Why can’t you just _support me_.”

That was it. After everything you’d done, all the times you went to bed with a broken heart because he wanted the fight to end, no questions asked. All the times you had to get up and go cry in the living room so you wouldn’t wake him up. After all the ways you’d tried to love him hard enough to heal the ache that seemed to always be there. After giving up entire months of your writing time so he could feel like you weren’t ignoring him, so he couldn’t claim that you loved writing more than him. After _everything_...!

You turned away from both him and the couch and moved into the bedroom where your uniform for your nightly barista job--the only one that had been steady since you moved out of your parent’s house--was laying neatly on the end of the bed, ready for you.

It was still a few hours before you even had to be there, but you couldn’t be in the same room as him, you couldn’t handle the pain that shacked through your system. You snatched your uniform and turned to the door, but froze when Jeremy filled the doorway, his face blank.

“Where are you going?”

“Work,” You said easily, but you didn’t move forward.

“What, you can’t handle me, _babe_?” His voice was dark as he crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, having no intention of moving, “Just want to wash out my feelings-”

“I LOVE YOU, YOU IDIOT,” You suddenly screeched, tears springing to your eyes and pouring down your face, “I GET it! You’re hurting and depressed and I’m not expecting you to be HAPPY all the time, because I know you! I _KNOW_ you, Jeremy!”

Jeremy froze, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open, but words were failing him as he saw your normally composed figure break down in front of him. How many times could he say that he’d seen you react in anything other than even temperament--or in anger, when you fought?

“I don’t want you to bury your feelings,” You sobbed, slapping at the tears on your cheek, but hiccuping when they were replaced quickly, “But can’t you understand that I _need_ you? That even thinking about you dying, or wanting to be dead is like a stab inside of me, and every time I’ve tried to be nice, because anytime I act worried, you suddenly act like ‘How dare _you_ try to bury my feelings.’ but what about _me_ , Jer?”

You sobbed, but a deep breath and you were gone again, “I can’t do more for you, I want to, but I can’t! Hearing you say you’d rather be dead is killing me, Jeremy, and I want to be sympathetic, but _why aren’t I good enough anymore?_ Why is death so much better that it's worth hurting me like this, just tell me why??”

You slumped back onto the bed, a hand covering your mouth as you tried to get yourself back under control, but the sobs and the tears just kept coming, making you curl into yourself, one hand at your mouth, the other clutching the blanket tightly.

Jeremy stood frozen in the doorway, his eyes glued to your shaking form as he tried to form any words or any thoughts.

Had his heart really hardened that much in the time he’d been with you, that he wouldn’t notice that he’d done this to you? Why couldn’t he _feel_ anything for your shaking form right now…?

After long minutes of silence, where he didn’t move or say anything to you, you finally wiped your eyes and stood, picking up our uniform from next to you and held it tightly against your chest before you were walked toward him and then slipping past him.

“Wait,” He finally forced himself to turn and reached for your arm.

You yanked it away and kept walking.

He called your name desperately and followed you, “No, please wait! I was wrong, I know I’ve been selfish, but please...don’t leave me alone with that! I can’t...I can’t be alone knowing what I’ve been doing to you!”

You had scooped up your purse and your hand touched the front door when you stopped. Everything in you was pulling you to stay, wanting you to back down, to apologize and never let him mention this fight again...but the hurt that coursed through you, the hurt that reminded you that you’d spend over a year with him, and had he ever really cared? Except for when you were wanting to walk out the door?

“I’ll be back after work,” You said firmly, but hesitated.

“Don’t-” Jeremy choked, “Don’t leave me like this; you’re the only one stopping me from doing something to hurt myself, just stay! Call off for the night, I promise it will be better!”

You felt more tears and a sob left again, though you tried to muffle it by pressing your lips together, “Wh-why do you always try to blackmail me into staying by holding your own life hostage? I-it's not f-fair, j-j-just stop…”

Jeremy froze, taking a step back in almost horror before he swallowed hard and sank onto the couch, his eyes glued to your shaking back, the hardness of his heart cracking like glass.

You didn’t say another word as you opened the door and left.

_You fell silent, your eyes staring at the carpet, but Sans could tell you were nowhere even close to home right now. Tears had gathered in your eyes again as you sat there quietly, but the rest of you was calm, almost peaceful._

_He was almost afraid to ask._

_“what happened?” He said your name quietly, tenderly, like it tasted like a fine wine or soothing tea._

_You stirred finally, your face turning slowly, though your eyes were glued onto the same spot on the carpet until they snapped to look into Sans’s eyes._

_A shaky breath left you, “...Then, I came home.”_

You hadn’t even made it to the beginning of your shift. You arrived at the poetry cafe over two hours early, and offered a weak smile to your boss. She had immediately asked you what was wrong.

“J-Jeremy and I had a fight,” you supplied, your throat so thick with unshed tears that you had to clear it twice before she could understand you.

Her eyes darkened with sympathy, “And you came here to get away?”

“I...I don’t know,” You hiccuped, sinking deeper into your chair, “I just wanted...I don’t know...to take a minute to breathe and…”

“Go home,” She nudged gently, “You love Jeremy and he loves you; you know that.”

You paused and looked at the ground; she was right, of course. You loved Jeremy, you knew that without a shadow of a doubt; it was a quiet strength in your heart, that’s there like a pillar even when you second guess everything else, even when you aren’t sure you have the strength to handle him at his worst, that love is there like a shelter from the storm.

You stood up and thanked your boss, telling her you might not be back that night.

“Don’t worry about it, go,” She watched as you practically ran back toward the bus stop.

The bus ride back seemed to take twice as the ride to work, and you had to force your leg not to bounce in place and disturb anyone sitting near you. You were anxious, checking your phone every few minutes, even though you had just sent a quick apology to Jeremy. According to your phone, he hadn’t even read it yet.

You groaned and closed your eyes. He wouldn’t really...kill himself, right? You’d been so terrified at the idea, but now that he wasn’t answering his phone...a terrible numbness started to take over as you left the bus and started to take off at a full run toward the apartment buildings that you and Jeremy shared.

Your heart was pounding in your ears. The elevator was taking too long. You sprinted up the stairs, two at a time, to the third floor. There was the couple from next door, but you couldn’t stop to say hi. You pushed past them, and nearly slammed into the door. It was unlocked. You felt your stomach drop.

“Jeremy?” You called quickly. You left the front door cracked open on accident, “Jeremy, where are you?”

No answer. Your blood ran cold as you immediately turned toward the small hallway that lead to the bedroom. You couldn’t see anything from here. You swallowed and moved toward your bedroom, a small inkwell of hope hitting you when you saw that no one was in the bedroom.

“...Maybe he went out…” You breathed, moving into the bedroom just so you could say you were thorough, “No, he had to of gone out.”

That’s when you heard it.

The slow -THD...THD...THD- of something coming from the closet. Your heart stopped and turned toward it. The door was closed--which was unusual, because Jeremy loved to leave the closet open--and your heart leapt into your throat as you inched closer.

Your fingers reached out to grasp around the handle. You felt sick as you realized you could feel the vibrations of something hitting the door.

You swallowed, gathered your nerve and forced the door open.

Then, you screamed.

_You stopped again, your voice sounding gravelly and you felt exhausted._

_“He...he’d taken the vacuum cleaner and hung himself with the chord,” You said slowly, swallowing thickly before continuing, “No note, but I knew exactly why he’d done it. I kn-knew and he just…”_

_Sans suddenly reached out and yanked you into a firm hug, holding you tight enough to squeeze a few tears out, but it was enough to let the dam break. You straddled his lap and buried your head in his hoodie while tears overtook you and you sobbed. You cried out why and tried to stop the tears, but they wouldn’t, they couldn’t._

_Jeremy had been open eyed when you’d opened the door, and his mouth had been twitching, a final sign of life before he’d gone completely still. That moment haunted you. Wondering if you were the last thing he saw before he died, and if he died wanting to cry because if he had just waited….just a few minutes longer…_

_You hiccuped and dry heaved until you managed to calm yourself down._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	26. Down Hill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Whew, the last mini arc was hard, but we made it through! Thank you all for your support and comments, I so appreciate it, my lovelies <3
> 
> Now we're on to more plot shtuffy-shtuff, and I put a small bit of fluff in there too *wink* nothing explicit, but I hope you all like it~~

Your bedroom was silent, except for the quiet sobs that were muffled into Sans’s black t-shirt. You felt raw and exposed, but Sans hadn’t said anything that would make you feel like he had judged you. In fact, he hadn’t said anything since you finished your story.

You hiccuped and tried to calm yourself down. Sans had been the first person you had really opened up to about Jeremy; even your sister had been left to guess at the details. Still, you took a shaky breath and said.

“Thank you.”

Your forehead was still pressed to his clavicle, but you made sure your words weren’t muffled as you said them.

“for what?” Sans’s voice was almost a whisper, and you felt it hum in his chest soothingly.

“For listening,” You supplied, “For...not judging me…”

Sans froze, and you could feel him, “ _judge_ you…? because you were in a bad relationship?”

The way he said it made you blush a little, “No, I mean...I...I pushed him so far, then I left him alone when he told me he needed me most, I just…”

You felt his hands on your shoulders and he moved you gently, slowly enough that you could pull away if you wanted, but moved you until he could look into your eyes. He looked a little upset, his grin not pulled up at all in the corners.

“woah, woah, why is that your fault?” Sans asked gently, “jeremy took his life into his own hands. you did not kill him, got it?”

His words were quiet, but firm. He left no room for argument and that made tears appear. You’d held Jeremy’s death against yourself for so long...it had changed how you interact with people, how you view the world...did you even know how to not blame yourself anymore?

Maybe it was the uncertainty in your eyes, or the way you tried to look away, but something moved inside of Sans that he hadn’t let move in a long time. His phalanges moved to your chin, gently tilting your head back as his other hand trailed its way up your arm and to the back of your neck, giving a small bit of gentle pressure to pull you closer.

You knew what this _felt_ like, and you felt a blush rise in your cheeks as you saw Sans lower his lids--a mystery for another time. Your stomach twisted pleasantly, letting a warmth gather there while your breathing hitched. You swallowed and slowly let your own eyes close before leaning forward with his hands, your hands gripping his shirt tightly.

The first feeling was your lips pressing against something hard--his teeth, you quickly realized; you probably shouldn’t have been as surprised, really--but soon a warm tingle started started as your lips. A pleased sigh left your nose as you drank in the feeling, one of your hands moving up the side of his neck to cup his cheek.

You pulled back only slightly, your eyes opening slowly as you looked up into his eyes, which were watching you. Was that a nervous look?

“Wow,” You breathed, a blush burning your face and a smile you couldn’t hide was plastered on your mouth.

The nervous look seemed to disappear before Sans chuckled a little, “yeah, i know i’m a pretty _sans_ sational kisser.”

A snort left you and you rested your forehead on his shoulder as you giggled. There it was; just a few moments with him and everything seemed to wash away and seem not so important. Even the worry of what he thought of you for what had happened...It melted away and brought you back to the here and now.

A wave of exhaustion hit you between the eyes and you reached up to rub your face. A glance at your alarm clock made you groan.

“Ugh, 4:30 already?” you leaned into Sans for a moment before you straightened up, “S-sorry, Sans, I’m just draped across you….”

A blush was already starting to cross your face, but it deepened when he wrapped his arm around your waist and held you still for a moment.

“are you gonna be ok?” Sans was still watching you, but the intense look in his eye was long gone and you could see the dark circles under his eyes clearly again, “that was quite a hi _story_ you’ve gotten hidden in here-” The tip of his finger tapped your sternum once before continuing, “though i’m glad you were able to _tale_ it to me.”

A snort left you involuntarily and you let your head lean forward for a moment before you looked back up to him and offered him a small smile.

“I’ll...well, it's off my chest, I’m sure that with time, it really will heal,” You nodded, as if trying to convince yourself as well.

He looked like he was going to answer that--to say what, you weren’t sure--but you both jumped when a loud pounding came from the front door. You swallowed while Sans helped you to your feet, and you moved into the hallway and peeked through the window at the end of the hall that looked down over the main road.

Your heart stopped when you saw two police cars, their lights flashing, but their sirens off.

“Sh...shit,” Your stomach dropped to the basement and you tried not to panic, “What are they..oh god, someone _did_ see those three last night!”

You heard the pounding at your door and took a breath, “I have to stall them...Sans can you-”

“I’m not letting you go out there without me,” He said sternly, his eye sockets pitch black as he glared down at the flashing lights, their colors hitting his face in an almost eerie way.

You were going to Argue, but undyne was suddenly behind you.

“Those cop-people aren’t leaving!” She hissed quietly, “What are we going to do?”

“Get everyone, including Frisk into the basement and lock it from the inside,” You breathed slowly, “Sans and I are going to stall them.”

Undyne looked ready to argue, but the police were pounding on the door, calling your name now.

“Go!” You hissed quietly before you turned and moved toward the stairs, calling down, “I’m coming!”

You glanced around as you hit the bottom step and saw Monsters cowering in dark corners. This was the worst timing ever..You took a breath and turned on the porch light before cracking the door open.

“...yes?” You gave the officers a show of watching them before you spoke.

They repeated your name, as if to confirm it. When you nodded, they spoke in clipped tones.

“Ma’am,” Both looked young, but the one who spoke had a dark mustache, “We got a call from your neighbors regarding suspected illegal activities happening on your property.”

You refused to glance back into the house, and instead stepped outside, shutting the door when you saw that Sans wasn’t behind you.

“Oh? And what illegal activity is that?” You crossed your arms and glanced between the two of them.

The one with the mustache had the name “S. Simmons” on it, while the other officer--a heavier set man with a round face and short blonde hair--had the name “T. Jones” on his.

“Resistance activities, ma’am,” Jones said easily, but he seemed to shrink under Simmons’s even glare.

You narrowed your eyes, studying the two of them. They’re eyes kept darting to the windows and to the sides of the house. You took a steadying breath quietly before you answered.

“So, someone is accusing me of helping the Resistance...and suddenly there are two squad cars outside my home at-” You made a show of looking at the non-existent watch on your wrist, “-4:30 in the morning?”

“Ma’am, this doesn’t have to be hard,” Simmons said coolly, “Just let us search your place, and we’ll be on our way.”

“You have a warrant?” You asked, just as coldly.

Both officer’s froze, but Simmons just raised his voice a little, “Sounds pretty guilty to me, young lady.”

He started to step forward, reaching past you to grab at the door knob.

“H-hey!” your back hit the door, but you hesitated to reach for the officer’s hand.

Suddenly, there was a hum at your back, and the familiar tingle of magic tickled your skin.

“i’m pretty sure the term ‘breaking and entering’ applies to cops, too,” Sans’s voice came from the darkness on the right side of the porch and you could see the glow of his blue eye.

You slipped away from the officer, and moved to stand near Sans, but in front of him as well.

The officer’s glowered at you both, but you crossed your arms, “If you don’t have a warrant, I won’t let Sans lower his protection over the house. It's nothing to do with guilt, and you both know that.”

Jones nudged Simmons, “C’mon, Sam; let's get back to the station and we can-”

Simmons snapped, “She’s hiding something, and I’ll find out what!”

“Not without a search warrant,” You hissed stubbornly, “I know my rights; the minute you show me one, my house is free for you to search as you please, but until then, please get off of my property.”

Both of the officers glanced between each other and the door, before their eyes rested on you. You tensed, half expecting them to take their chances against you and Sans, but they backed down, and turned to walk off of your porch.

Simmons jumped into his car--but not before hissing something to Jones, who looked resigned--and sped away with his lights off. You watched Jones for a few moments as he settled in his own patrol car and started to do what looked like paperwork, but you weren’t going to wait around long.

You and Sans walked back into the house, and you didn’t start speaking until the door was shut and locked firmly.

“We have to get everyone evacuated, Sans,” You breathed, “If they bring back a whole team of investigators--and of course they will, what with the idea of the Resistance--they’ll figure out pretty quickly I have a basement, and that someone has been trying to dig a _tunnel_ down there…”

Sans’s hand found it's way to your shoulder and he slowed you before turning you to look at him, “what are you planning for you and frisk?”

“I...I don’t know,” You said, nearing the verge of tears again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	27. Saying Goodbye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> This chapter might feel a little shorter than the last few; I apologize for that, but that's how some chapters come out. No spoilers, but the ending was...well...emotional for me to write. I do hope you all like the way I tried to fill out Asgore's character in this chapter, just a little. I really like the idea that Asgore is a good leader, and in too many fanfics, he seems like such a token character, it kind of makes me sad since I think he has the greatest potential for character studies and whatnot because of his actions in the game.
> 
> I love you all and am happy you found your way here! I appreciate you all.

“I’m-We’re so sorry!” Devon looked desperately from Asgore to you, his fists at his side clenched tightly.

Gabbie sank into a nearby chair, her arms wrapping around herself.

“There’s no point in laying blame,” Asgore said calmly, his eyes searching the crowds of monsters and humans who were now looking to him for guidance, “We must leave here...find a new place to hide until we can rebuild our forces…”

“But where can we go?” Someone called out from the crowd, sounding despondent.

Asgore hesitated, his eyes sweeping over the crowd again.

“We may have to return to Mt. Ebott,” He finally said quietly.

The monsters in the room started to talk in hushed, panicked voices. The humans looked confused, but seemed to reflect the anxiety of the monsters.

“Back Underground?” Undyne said over the hum of voices, sounding angry, “That’s like retreating and saying we lost!”

There was a murmur of agreement, but Asgore silenced it with a look.

“There is no shame or defeat in valuing the lives of those around you,” Asgore said steadily, “If our group is caught again, we will lose more lives; more monsters will be turned to dust, more humans taken away to be jailed. The barrier has been down nearly three years and there are none among the humans who can restore it; we must go where humans still fear to tread, and find a place for our kind to gather and take back our lives.”

Undyne’s shoulders slumped as Asgore spoke, and you could see the quiet acceptance of those who were standing around the room. The humans looked apprehensive, and you realized that Asgore was right; humans seemed to fear the Underground, but you could almost see their determination growing even as Asgore continued to speak.

“The Underground has been protected by us for thousands of years,” Asgore said, “And we will leave that place; we will not vanish into the darkness, like a problem swept under some rug. We are free Monsters! Of our lives, it will not be said that we lost hope, that we gave up without fighting to the last! We will leave the Underground triumphant, and on the march for a better future!”

A cheer went up around you and you jumped a little, looking around you at the people surrounding you. With just a few words, Asgore had taken their fears and doubts and took them away in a rush of hope and glory. That, matched with his calm gentle kindness showed you what kind of leader he really was, and that filled you with determination.

You took a breath, and watched as the people around the room began packing with renewed vigor and hurried to prepare for everyone to leave. You watched everyone move around you before swallowing hard and moving to the side, sitting on the stairs as you considered your options.

The fact was, the police were going to come back with a search warrant; no body took accusations about the Resistance as a joke. They would come back with a full team of investigators and there was no way they wouldn’t find out about your basement. You glanced around slowly at the moving bodies and sighed quietly.

The police might not know immediately, but they would find out that you had all these monsters beneath your floorboards and then Frisk would be gone.

You bit your lip, hard, and then stood to race up the stairs.

~*~

It wasn’t until after you had woken Frisk up and finished packing their things that Sans found you.

“hey--uh, what’s going on in here?”

Frisk was sitting on your bed as you packed a duffel bag full of clothes; a backpack was already sitting packed next to Frisk.

You paused before you finished folding the shirt that was in your hands.

“We’re going with everyone, of course,” You said matter of factly, your hands already moving to the next article of clothing, your hands moving quickly, “I won’t let Frisk get taken just because of something like this...we can go to the Underground with everyone.”

Sans looked a little stunned before he tried, “is...is it really that simple for you?”

“Well, no,” You turned to look at him, your eyes glancing toward Frisk, “I can already tell you that I expect my bank accounts to freeze, my writing career to go downhill and I’ll be wanted for probably kidnapping among other things. So, no, it's not simple at all.”

Frisk, who had been happily swinging their legs at the prospect of leaving with the monsters, froze, their eyes moving to you silently.

There was a pause before Sans broke in again, “can’t argue with that; need any help?”

You offered him a smile before zipping up the duffel, “As lazy as you are? You wouldn’t want to _lug_ gage it around.”

Frisk buried their face in their hands, but Sans chuckled, “you totally _bagged_ that joke.”

“Definitely took a _trip_ into my wit for it.”

“good to see your sense of humor isn’t on _vacation_ ,” Sans shrugged, smiling at you with one eye closed.

Frisk waved their arms before they hopped off your bed and grabbed their bags before running out of the room. You laughed lightly, shouldering your backpack. You felt lighter now--facing the idea of being a criminal and being on the run with Frisk and the others--then you had in a long time and you figured it had a lot to do with your opening up to Sans earlier that morning. Speaking of that morning…

The kiss flashed across your mind and you hesitated before picking up your duffel bag. The kiss had been wonderful, and still left butterflies in your stomach, but where did that leave the both of you? He had said that he cared about you, had insinuated how attracted to you he was, but that hardly meant you could just start calling him ‘boyfriend’ without talking about it.

Then again, was now even the time?

Before you could convince yourself one way or the other, Undyne was busting out of her room with her and Alphys’s stuff--which admittedly wasn’t much--hollering about how there was still things that needed to get done downstairs.

“Ahh….we, um, better go downstairs,” You finally grabbed your duffel and offered Sans a small smile.

“yeah, probably,” He answered, his hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets.

Neither of you moved for a few moments, and you bit your lip, slowly worrying it between your teeth. Sans’s eyes darted to watch it for a split second, but his eyes were back up to match your gaze again. You took in a short breath, about to say something else when someone called from downstairs.

“Cop cars! Everyone hurry!”

You felt your breath hitch and both you and Sans hurried down the stairs. Monsters and humans alike were hurrying toward the study, Devon and another human were helping Muffet--who wasn’t awake, but the collar was gone from around her neck--through the study door as you and Sans reached the first floor. You darted forward and locked the front door. A temporary solution, but you didn’t think about that as you quickly went through the rooms to make sure no one was left behind.

A knock at the door told you everyone was out of time as you ushered the last of the monsters into the bookcase before closing it. Another set of knocks came from the front of the house as you flipped the switch, effectively locking the bookcase so that no one could follow.

There were a few ‘shush’es being passed around as the group of Resistance fighters filed their way into the room with the tunnel. You sent a questioning glance at Sans, but he only shrugged unhelpfully as you both made your way to Asgore, Inker--who was riding on the former King’s shoulders--Frisk, Undyne and Alphys, and Gerson.

“As soon as everyone is safely in the tunnel, seal it, Gerson,” Asgore said slowly, his voice heavy with an unknown emotion. Undyne looked upset, but seemed to be keeping quiet, which was unusual enough to make you uncomfortable.

“Ye, and don’t worry,” Gerson crossed his arms over his shell, chuckling his raspy laugh, “I’ll be fine, ‘gorey.”

“Wait, what’s happening?” You looked between Gerson, Undyne and Asgore.

“Gerson has to stay behind,” Asgore supplied heavily, “In order to buy us time by sealing the tunnel…”

You froze and looked at the old turtle. An uncomfortable lump formed in your throat, “I-is that the only way?”

“We’ve long discussed it, missy,” Gerson eyed you, “I don’t much feel like discussing it again; let this old monster to my peace, ye?”

You gaped, but took a short breath, “But why?”

Gerson sighed, but Asgore spoke to you in kind tones, “If Gerson closes the tunnel from the inside, there is no way for him to tell what this side will look like; we may not have the advantage if the human police find out which direction we have fled in. We may come out the other side to an ambush…”

“S-so, Gerson h-hopes t-to a-void that b-by c-closing i-it on th-this s-side,” Alphys interjected.

You opened your mouth to argue, but Gerson shot you a look, “I ain’t takin no chances with Asgore and everyone’s lives; you can’t talk me out of it, not for one second.”

There was a long silent pause after that, which was only filled by the tendrils of conversations that happened as people walked by and entered the tunnel.

Undyne cursed, but slapped the turtle on the back, “Good luck, Old man! Give ‘em hell!”

She didn’t stay long after that, Alphys following after her--you noticed that the small yellow dinosaur was misty eyed. Sans watched Gerson for a moment before reaching out to shake his hand. Frisk was looking around at everyone, seeming distressed and upset.

”We can’t leave Gerson behind!” Frisk turned to you, signing quickly.

You hesitated, looking at Gerson again, “Frisk...we...it's not our decision…”

”We have to save everyone!’ Frisk signed quicker, their fingers almost a blur, ”Aunty, do something!”

Your mouth moved, but what could you say to them? What could you even do?

Sans filled the silence, “c’mon kiddo, your aunt isn’t in charge, give her a break.”

His voice was quiet, and he hooked an arm around Frisk’s shoulders and started to lead them away.

You watched them walk away, a small weight lifting off of your heart with a sigh.

You, and a few others jumped when the sound of splintered wood echoed overhead.

Gerson and Asgore didn’t even flinch.

“...Goodbye, old friend,” Asgore spoke quietly, pulling the turtle into a long hug before he began making sure the last of the group made it's way down into the tunnel. Inker sniffled from Asgore’s shoulder, strangely quiet.

You swallowed and hesitated.

“You better git goin,” Gerson said sternly, but his voice was quiet, “As soon as I use my magic, those uniforms will swarm down here.”

“But...doesn’t that mean…?”

Gerson didn’t answer right away, choosing to wait until the room was empty before he said, “Ye, little missy; this’ll probably be the last time the two of us talk.”

A weight started in your chest, making you swallow hard, “But...isn’t there-”

Gerson cut you off, “Go on, missy; let this old monster have his peace.”

He only repeated what he said earlier, but the way he said it this time...he sounded tired, solemnly accepting what had been dealt to him by the circumstances. Yesterday, Gerson had been teasing you about how uptight you were about his earth-based magic, neither of you even aware that today, he’d be giving up his life so that the Resistance could escape.

“Gerson, I-” Your voice caught in your throat and tears burned your eyes, “I’m sorry, I-”

“You take care of everyone, ye hear? Don’t let me die in vain,” He pleaded-- _pleaded_ \--his voice quiet and final.

The voices of the police overhead made you step toward the tunnel, but you looked back, swallowing.

“Goodbye, Gerson.”

“...” Gerson didn’t answer, his back turned toward you as he kept watch of the staircase.

You entered the tunnel and moved to quickly move through it, not sure how far you would have to go before Gerson would block the tunnel.

The tunnel itself was barely big enough for a monster of Asgore’s size, but you were able to run along it comfortably. Every 6 feet or so, a wooden pillar jutted up from the ground along the uneven walls. You stopped when you felt the same earthshaking that had happened when Gerson first opened the tunnel and you glanced back to see the walls just sort of _close_ behind you, about 10 feet back.

You hesitated and moved back toward them, putting your hand against the stone of the walls that now blocked Gerson from the rest of you. You swallowed, straining to hear anything through the thick stone, but nothing-

A gunshot came, muffled through the stone.

You felt tears fall from your eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	28. The Tunnel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Sorry I didn't have any chapters up for the past two days; my husband and I needed a little reconnecting time and went out of town for a Pat Benatar concert :3
> 
> I'm happy to say that with this chapter, I'm very sure we haven't hit the halfway point yet (of course, I'm not quite sure how long this fanfic is actually going to be, but hey, live and let live, right?) and that means you all can expect much more and I'm still aiming for Daily updates!
> 
> I love you all and I hope you all enjoy this chapter~<3

The tunnel stretched out farther than you thought, and you had to slow your hurried steps in order to keep yourself from tripping down the slope that the tunnel took. You first wondered if you had made a mistake, because the tunnel seemed completely abandoned…

Then you heard hurried footsteps and hushed voices. You almost wondered why you hadn’t heard that many people moving and talking, but you almost ran into Undyne. She managed to catch you as the two of you nearly collided, and her hard look softened when she saw it was you.

“Gerson…?” She asked, almost hopefully.

You bit your lip and shook your head slowly, “I’m sorry, Undyne…”

Undyne swallowed hard before nodding, then she turned and started to lead you toward the rest of the group, which was walking and talking quietly ahead of you.

”Why is it so quiet?” You asked quietly, feeling it would almost be taboo if you spoke too loud.

“Everyone’s afraid of accidently giving away our position through the dirt overhead; when Gerson first moved out the dirt, he said that it wasn’t far below the surface,” Undyne flinched when she said Gerson’s name, but continued, “This last raid was a little too close for comfort, according to some of the others.”

You nodded, your eyes traveling over the figures ahead of you. There wasn’t much light, but every now and then, you would pass a fireball floating against a wall; it moved strangely, hovering away if someone got too close to it. You figured that it was some kind of magic and made a note to ask about it, if you could remember. The fire gave enough light to see by, but it wasn’t much brighter than candlelight.

You kept an eye out for Frisk and Sans, but as far as you could tell, they were farther ahead; still, the group walked. You didn’t realize how hard the Resistance had been working to make this tunnel. It was at least a half a mile before you saw the people ahead of you come to a stop and Undyne began leading you through the group and toward the front.

Quiet murmurs surrounded you, and you even caught some sounds of tears, muffled by hands, or paws. You saw monsters and humans alike holding one another, comforting quietly even as they asked what would happen now.

_What would happen now?_

You swallowed and hurried to catch up with Undyne.

Asgore was quietly talking to those at the front of the group, giving instructions, “Have everyone rest for now; we must stop for Muffet’s sake, and so that we may all mourn. We won’t stop here, we’ll continue.”

Those he spoke to quietly dispersed back through the crowd, going all the way back as far as you could tell, to spread Asgore’s orders.

“Undyne,” Asgore called softly, motioned the two of you closer.

You were happy to see Sans, Alphys, Frisk and even Inker were safely standing at a dirt wall--a dead end. You tried not to think about that as you moved forward and hugged Frisk, who looked ready to cry, though they still hugged you back tightly.

You glanced at Sans, “Everyone’s ok?”

“as ok as can be expected,” Sans shrugged, “what about you?”

“I’m…” You swallowed, glancing back past the crowd into the darkness of the tunnel where you knew the blocked off entrance to be, “I’ll be ok…”

Your voice was quiet, but with a sigh you were already moving onto the next topic, “What’s the plan?”

Sans shrugged, but Asgore seemed to have heard your question and motioned for you to come closer to the circle that he, Alphys, Undyne and Inker had formed. Sans followed, and Frisk wouldn’t let go of your waist, so the circle got a little bigger.

“I must offer my humblest apologies,” Asgore bowed his head until his chin rested against his chest, “I came to you knowing it may change your life for the worst-”

“Asgore, it's fine,” You interrupted, “Frisk is still with me, and that’s all that matters.”

A sad smile hit Asgore’s face, but it was brief.

“You are kind,” He said before turning back to the others, “Now, we must plan for what to do next.”

“I thought you said back to the mountain, Asgore,” Undyne crossed her arms, her voice sounding rougher now that she was speaking quietly, “D’ya realized how dumb that plan was?”

“No, it is the right course of action, of that I am certain,” Asgore nodded to himself, “What I meant, Undyne, was we still need to get to Mount Ebott, and that would first include a way to get back to the surface.”

“W-well, g-getting back t-to g-ground l-level is a-as easy as f-following th-the o-original t-tunnel d-design,” Alphys explained easily, wringing her hands and trying not to blush, “Y-you d-do st-still have th-them, I-I a-assume?”

Asgore nodded and pulled a few sheets of paper from inside his pocket before handing them to Alphys, and then said, “Alphys’s brilliant mind will be good for planning our next move before we start to dig--now, we must hope that the area we surface is not too problematic...it was not when we first scouted it out, but it was a little close to downtown.”

You blinked slowly, “Which part? Because you were digging straight back through my backyard, and most of that is just a Forest Preserve; why don’t we just break surface sooner and figure it out from there?”

Asgore paused to consider this, “Originally, we wanted to be able to move from the city easily, but now that we can no longer use your home as a base, you are correct; we should surface early in order to move quicker toward Ebott.”

Inker spoke for the first time in a while, “‘efore that, I have work to do for you youngins.”

You paused before realizing she was looking at Sans, Undyne and Alphys. Panic started to well up in your stomach.

“Oh no, with them knowing that I was a supporter, they’ll mark you all missing!” You swallowed, holding Frisk tighter.

“Ye, and more than that, I won’t have much time,” Inker was already moving toward Alphys, hopping onto the small monster’s back, “There’s a chance they’ll sent an immediate termination order…”

Your eyes widened and you shifted from foot to foot, “Is there anything we can do to make this faster, than?”

Inker eyed you for a moment before snuffing through her squashed nose, “You can let me focus and stay out of my way.”

You winced, but nodded, “Fair enough…” You murmured.

Even despite Inker’s obvious distaste for you, you couldn’t help but hover near Sans and Undyne, your eyes glancing between their collars nervously. Guilt washed over you every time you glanced at them and saw the nervous glances between each other and the floor--if you had just stepped back and let Inker take their collars off in the first place...Undyne kept watching Alphys, as if knowing the next second wasn’t promised and you found yourself leaning against the nearest wall so you could give your weak knees a break.

“don’t do that to yourself,” Sans wasn't looking at you; his eyes were on Inker, watching her work on Alphys’s collar, “you were protecting the kid and we agreed to that, all of us.”

How did he always know? It was like he could read your mind.

“But if any of you die because of that decision…” You couldn’t even think of it and you closed your eyes tightly, “Sans, I couldn’t take having anyone else’s death on my soul, I just can’t…”

“the old woman might be a little _batty_ ,” Sans locked eyes with you, one side of his grin pulled up in a smirk, “but in the end, she’ll _collar_ in her smarts and-”

You reached forward and yanked him out of the way as Inker threw a small metal tool at the back of his head.

“Keep those shitty puns up, babybones, you won’t have to worry about that collar anymore.”

Undyne had to cover her mouth to muffle the loud laughter that was trying to escape, Frisk shook in your arms and even Asgore chuckled, though he gave Inker a reprimanding look. Sans glared over at the bat, but you snorted and leaned your forehead onto his shoulder.

Sans glanced down at you, his body freezing before he offered a one shoulder shrug--so as not to disturb you--as he said, “eh, guess i can’t win them all.”

Alphys’s collar was removed not long after that, and Undyne’s came next.

Undyne, seeming to be not a fan of Inker hanging off of her back, knelt onto the ground and lowered her neck until Inker could stand next to Undyne and still work in peace.

You pressed your lips together before you glanced down the tunnel, watching as the Resistance broke into smaller groups, an interesting mix of humans and monsters in each group, and all seemed to be talking in low tones, though while there was a somber hint in the air, many groups were smiling and happy to be together. That alone warmed your heart in a touching and gentle way.

“It really is possible, isn’t it?”

The words left your mouth without you realizing it.

“What is, punk?” Undyne glanced up from her place on the floor and winced when Inker slapped the back of her head.

“Don’t move!”

You smiled--and tried to hide it--before you answered her, “In all the best case scenarios that I could think of in my head, I always just assumed that monster and humans couldn’t mingle together. I thought that even if this ugly slavery ended, that both races would stay separate, neither trusting the other because of this whole stretch of history, but...look at them.”

Inker paused in her tinkering, while she and Undyne, Asgore and Alphys, and you and Sans all looked out at the Resistance.

Asgore was the first to speak, “This, this is what I fight for.”

Just a simple sentence, one spoken out into the darkness and you felt your soul jump and latch onto it.

Asgore was right, wasn’t _this_ worth fighting for?

The swell of hope was cut short when you heard a quiet beep coming from both Undyne and Sans. Your head snapped to Sans, about to ask what made that noise, but you saw one of the small screen readouts--the one that normally showed the white, upside down heart--was blinking with the letters “ **MISSING--TERMINATION IMMINENT** ” in red.

Both Sans and Undyne looked at each other, and each other’s collars before looks of pure terror crossed both of their faces. Undyne stiffened, her breathing coming out in short gasps as she closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.

Sans’s eyes found yours, and though his were dimmed, he still quirked his grin up a little and your heart shattered a little as he spoke.

“well, this could get _shocking_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please visit my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	29. More Questions Than Answers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya!
> 
> Here's your chapter (at an actual decent hour for me, wow...) and I hope you all enjoy!

It was probably lucky that Inker didn’t stop moving in taking Undyne’s collar off, because you were frozen like a statue at Sans’s joke.

_”You can_ joke _at a time like this??”_ You finally found yourself saying as you passed Frisk off to Asgore, “That’s not funny...it's not funny, Sans!”

Sans was still grinning, but you felt panic welling up as you saw the red blinking letters begin to blink faster. Inker wasn’t even done with Undyne, there was no way that she’d be able to get to Sans…

“No, it can’t end like this!” You hissed.

Inker was working as fast as her slender fingers would let her. Cut a wire here, bypass a circuit there…

She pulled off the collar just in time to turn and see you reach for Sans’s collar.

“No, hey!” Inker froze, her glasses revealing the magic laced between the collar and Sans, and the reaction that happened as you touched the collar.

You didn’t hear Inker as you reached up and grabbed the collar, trying to figure out how it came off. Sans had a hazy notion of what would happen if the collar were forcibly removed, but between the collar killing him and you killing him, he wondered which would hurt less.

You found the metal clasp and ripped it open just as the collar gave off another beep. You practically flung the collar away, into an unoccupied corner of the tunnel, breathing hard, hoping that you weren’t too late…

Sans blinked. He looked from you, who was breathing hard and looking relieved, to Inker, who looked more than shocked, to Undyne, Frisk, Alphys and Asgore who all looked relieved and ready to break down.

“It...it worked…?” You asked weakly before your knees gave out and you sat in the dirt.

There was another beat of silence and Sans nearly flopped onto the floor next to you, “gotta say, if i would have known that takin’ that damn thing off wouldn’t have killed me…”

He was gearing up for a pun, you could feel it, but Inker suddenly broke in.

“You _should_ have been killed,” She said quietly, moving to check Sans over, as if she didn’t believe what she’d seen, “Monster collars are supposed to dust the monster if anyone tries to take their collars off, but you just…”

Inker turned a hard look onto you and you felt yourself shrink back under her scrutiny. Her eyes were a single color--chocolate brown--and they stared at you almost unseeing, as if the small bat monster could see straight to your very being and your core. Sans was the one who broke you both from this.

“so, maybe the collar was a dud,” Sans shrugged, but you saw the way his eyes dimmed when he glanced toward the collar, which had come to rest near the far wall, past Asgore and the others, “any reason you’re letting your emotions go _uncollared_?”

Inker took a swipe at Sans and he leaned away easily, his grin still in place.

“You and your damned puns,” Inker grumbled, but she moved to collect the three collars that were no longer around the necks of your friends.

“Thank god,” You swallowed, leaning against Sans, “You all are ok, I thought for sure that it was going to be my fault and-”

Sans threw an arm around you and pulled you into a hug to silence you, “s’ok now; no need to get all broken up about it.”

You nodded before you felt another set of arms circle your shoulders. You turned your head and a soft smile appeared as you saw Frisk’s eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Frisk, it's alright,” You cooed softly, turning so that Frisk could cuddle to your front, snug between you and Sans, “Everyone’s safe, it's ok…”

Asgore was the one who finally brought focus back.

“I suggest everyone rest for now,” The former king said, “After we all have had a chance to do that, we must begin to make our way to the surface.”

“I was so scared Sans and Undyne would be hurt…,” Frisk held you tighter after they signed to you.

“Everyone is ok now, Frisk,” you breathed, leaning into Sans’s hold before you felt a blush erupted on your face, “S-sorry, Sans, Frisk and I can move.”

“don’t,” Sans said easily, his eyes already closed.

Frisk held you tighter and you felt a small smile appear on your face. In this moment, everything seemed so easy, no matter the context, or the uncertainty of the next few hours; you closed your eyes and for the first time, had no fear of nightmares.

~*~

Inker couldn’t sleep, even as the others of the group and the Resistance dropped off into an uneasy sleep. Her eyes were still on you as you, Sans and Frisk slept together. Asgore, who had prepared himself by laying back against the wall, eyed Inker.

“My old friend,” Asgore said softly, unnaturally so for his size, she thought, “What is troubling you?”

“Try’n to insinuate I’m old, you lump?” She said it automatically, her eyes still in your direction.

Asgore chuckled, “You are older than I, Inker.”

“Stuff it,” She finally turned to look up at Asgore before using her wings to jump up onto his shoulder, “It’s that human; you realize what she did, yeah?”

Asgore sobered, “I had hoped I was wrong.”

“Why?” Inker looked down at him.

“It was an ability I had hoped would have died out with the last of Humanity’s magic,” Asgore sighed.

“You know they still have _some_ magic in them, yes?” Inker shook her head, sounding annoyed, “I already explained that, didn’t I?”

“Yes, you did,” Asgore nodded, “It does not change my hope...were you able to see it for sure with those glasses of yours?”

“Yes, of course,” Inker pulled her glasses off of her nose, staring down at them before wiping them off on her clothes, “I tinkered with them until I could see any color of magic while I worked; haven’t seen any flaws in them yet.”

“So my hopes are in vain,” Asgore couldn’t stop himself from sighing.

“That ability enduring like that is probably going to make my job easier,” Inker said matter-of-factly, wrapping her wings around herself, “So you better start hoping for something else.”

Asgore chuckled, “Alright, alright...I understand, friend.”

“Hhmm,” Inker gave an obscure noise before settling down for a short nap.

Asgore’s eyes traveled back to you--and he noted with some amusement that Inker had been looking just a few feet too far left--and wondered, not for the first time, just what part you were likely to play at the end of this.

~*~

Your nap had been blissfully dream-and-nightmare free, which at least offered you that much when you were finally gently shaken away by Undyne.

“C’mon punk,” Undyne wasn’t as quiet as before, but you could hear that she was still restraining herself, “Asgore wants to lay out the final plan for digging before we wake the rest of the Resistance.”

“R-right,” You yawned out the word before you gently shook Frisk awake and then Sans.

“Can I help?” Frisk was already asking questions and you had to hold up a finger to have them hold on while you helped Sans to his feet.

Sans grumbled something, but shook his head when you tried to question him. Instead, he motioned toward Asgore, and the three of you huddled close to the large monster.

“So, we will begin to rise to the surface from here?” Asgore looked around for agreement before you nodded.

“If it's a gentle enough incline,” You commented, “We’ll be deep inside of the preserve before we break ground.”

Asgore nodded, “Then, Inker, I want you and Alphys to focus on planning, and we’ll have the members of the Resistance focusing on the actual digging, with rotating crews of about 12 or so.”

“Wh-what about M-Muffet?” Alphys almost squeaked, her eyes traveling to a group of humans and monsters nearby.

The group included Gabbie, Devon, Muffet and an assortment of others.

Your eyes found the purple Monster and you swallowed. She looked very thin and pale, but the collar was at least off of her neck. The small black spiders that had been around the collar--at least, the ones who survived, you were sure--were huddled near her stomach, as if tired or scared and while it sent an uneasy chill, you felt for the small creatures who were obviously worried for Muffet.

“The Vegetoids will be using their healing magic to keep her healthy,” Inker supplied, “That’s all we can do, except for praying that the collar didn’t do more damage that we can’t possibly hope to know or heal.”

“If Toriel was-” Asgore started, but a deep look of pain hit his face and he looked down.

It was the first time anyone had mentioned Toriel since you had found out her fate, and it affected everyone to hear her name. You swallowed as you watched Frisk look at the ground, their hands balled into tight fists; the light in Sans’s eyes went out immediately, but he still seemed to be glaring up at Asgore. Undyne and Alphys looked at each other sadly, but didn’t say or do anything else. Inker actually stepped back, almost falling off of Asgore’s shoulder.

Asgore actually looked near tears before you finally tried to refocus everyone.

“S-so, the Vegetoids will take care of Muffet,” You said, looking at a spot in the dirt in the middle of the group, “And we’ll need more people to take the dirt we dig out toward the back of the tunnel...we don’t want it getting in the way…”

There was still silence and you pressed your lips together, think you failed in your endeavor, but Frisk suddenly stepped forward and put their hands on their hips, watching each monster of the group before they started to sign.

“Aunty has the right idea! Mom wouldn’t sit here, there are too many people who need us to keep moving! She’d already have been getting people organized and healed; c’mon Dad!” Frisk turned and signed so everyone could see what they were saying and many of them looked sheepishly at each other.

“You are right, my child,” Asgore said softly, “Toriel would save her mourning for a more appropriate time, and continue to work her hardest to make sure no one else suffered.”

“Then let’s get going!” Undyne punched her fist into the air, “Get up, nerds! We have work to do today!”

Undyne was already moving to rouse the Resistance while you and Asgore started planning for the groups. Those too old (there weren’t many of these), or too young (frisk was the only one and refused to sit by the sidelines) or too sick to work were put to one side in a small carved out alcove that Asgore made carefully while the rest of the group began to get ready to work.

You, Frisk and Undyne were part of the first group of diggers while Inker and Alphys directed where the edges and the incline of the tunnel would be. Another group of about the same size as yours was taking piles of dirt back through the half mile to the back of the current tunnel; you grunted as you moved dirt and rocks, trying to keep Frisk from overworking themselves while keeping up with the movements of the others.

Just when your muscles began to ache, Asgore called for groups to switch, and you and Frisk found a place to rest before you would be part of the group to move dirt back to the back of the tunnel. Four groups, two resting, one digging, and one moving the dirt; everyone was moving and helping, even Asgore was part of a group.

Everyone, except you didn’t see Sans. From what you had seen, he’d been part of the group of movers that was working while your group had been digging, but he wasn’t resting with the other group.

Before you could question it, or ask where he was, Asgore called for another switch, and you were getting up and brushing your shorts off. It occurred to you that it was lucky that you decided on sneakers and shorts, or you’d have been a pretty unhappy camper. Still, you dismissed the thought as you grabbed for a bucket of dirt and started to haul it back down the tunnel. Frisk managed on their own, but you suspected Asgore made sure their bucket wasn’t as full.

It was a half a mile—or so, you don’t know how accurate your measuring skills are once it comes to distances—back to the place where Gerson closed off the tunnel. You tried not to feel the weight of his sacrifice, but the fact was that the cops seemed to have no clue where to look next and the Resistance owed that much to Gerson, if not more.

You hesitated as you saw that Sans was at this end of the tunnel, his back to you and Frisk as the two of you climbed the slope to reach where he was.

“Sans? What are you doing over here?” You lowered your bucket to the ground, shaking your arms out.

“making sure that the dirt doesn’t just slide down the slope,” He answered easily, his head turning to face you and you took in a short breath through your nose.

His right eye was as empty as eternity, but his left eye was glowing with what seemed like blue fire, surrounding a blue iris that glowed bright. It was then that you noticed the dirt from your bucket raising from its confines and then moving toward the wall as if a magnet had been turned on.

“Wow,” You breathed, “How…? What’s your magic, Sans?”

“ah, guess I never told you, huh?” He chuckled, “guess we were focused on other things for all this time, huh?”

You offered him a sheepish smile, “Well, you just never used it before, as far as I can tell…except when those cops showed up this morning.”

“my magic deals pretty heavily in space-time,” He shrugged as if that information was somehow bland, “i can teleport to a degree, and I can change the gravitational pull and how gravity effects a person or object.”

You felt your jaw drop a little, “Seriously??”

Frisk tugged your sleeve, “Sans is too lazy to use his magic most of the time.”

“Frisk,” You reprimanded lightly, but Sans interrupted you.

“kiddo’s got a point,” Sans shrugged, closing his right eye in a wink, “the _gravity_ of the situation has to be pretty big for me to make the _timely_ choice to use my magic.”

You snorted, covering your face with one hand before you were giggling, “Geez, Sans…”

While you weren’t looking, Frisk gave Sans two thumbs up before dumping their own bucket and hurrying back down the slope. Sans raised an eyebrow after the kid, but shook his head.

“Frisk? Don’t run down the hill,” You didn’t raise your voice—you _were_ still close to where your basement was—but when they didn’t acknowledge what you said, you shook your head and started to grab your bucket.

“hey,” Sans’s hand touched yours before you could wrap your fingers around the bucket’s handle, so you paused and turned your face to look at him.

“Something the matter, Sans?”

“uh, not really, i just,” He paused, his eyes finding yours which proved a mistake; how could he gather any nerve if you were looking at him with those pretty eyes of yours? “just, uh, wanted to tell you not to work too hard.”

You blinked slowly before a smile appeared on your face, “I’ll keep that in mind, Sans, thanks.”

He hesitated, but you moved first. You leaned over and pressed your lips against his teeth in a quick kiss, but you could see the blue glow of his blush when you pulled away. A smile tugged at your lips before you grabbed your bucket and turned to follow Frisk down the slope.

“Don’t forget to take breaks, Sans,” You said before you saw another person from your group of movers coming up the slope.

“heh, right…”

~*~

The next time you brought dirt, you also brought him water. There were a few more switches, and the next time you were part of the movers, you made sure to let him know that the others were already talking of stopping for food and such, but Sans shrugged it off.

“i’ll be fine, sweetheart,” He said easily, “if they plan to stop for the night, I’ll head back, but we’re close to the bottom of this slope.”

He motioned to the short distance to where the floor leveled off and you noted the few more people bringing buckets of dirt, “You think another hour of work and it’ll be safe for you to let up?”

“less, probably,” He shrugged, “for every foot of dirt you all clear up ahead, it ends up being a little more than that back here.”

You blinked, surprised, “Why?”

Sans shrugged, “the dirt we’re digging out is compressed, has been for a long time; my magic ain’t gonna be able to get it back to that; only another earth type magic user could, like ol’ gerson.”

You nodded in understanding before you started to head back, “I’ll let Asgore know and then I’ll be back with more dirt.”

He didn’t answer you. Sans was right, though; it was less than 30 minutes later that you came back to bring another bucket and Sans was on level ground, seeming less strained now that he wasn’t fighting gravity on top of creating his own.

“Want me to tell them to stop digging?”

“only if they’re going to stop for the night,” Sans wiped his skull and for the first time, you noticed that he was indeed sweating.

“You’re going to exhaust yourself and we have at least another day of digging,” You moved closer and resting your hand near his temple; you felt him tense, but relax into your touch not long after, “Sorry, do you not like being touched?”

“nah, it’s not that,” Sans said, “just been awhile since anyone was gentle, is all.”

His voice was quiet, but you knew what he was referring to. His previous owners, for sure.

“I’m sorry,” You said gently.

“wasn’t you,” He shrugged, “honestly, it wasn’t so bad; i only have one hp, so that already meant they had to be careful. i usually had to deal with shoving and a few curses, nothing that would leave much more than a bruised ego.”

He chuckled, but it was hollow.

“That doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt,” You said quietly, and your lips found his temple.

Sans was so shocked, he almost dropped the wall of earth that he was holding up, “h-hey now, what’s that about?”

You blinked before giving him a strange smile, “Just trying to offer some consolation; its just a kiss, Sans. Is that not ok? I know we haven’t had a chance to talk about where we stand, but after you kissed me in my bedroom…”

You shrugged after you let your words hang in the air for a minute.

“n-no, its fine,” He looked up at you almost as if seeing you for the first time, “i didn’t think you’d be ok with keeping this whole thing going.”

You saw the blue blush and you realized what he meant.

“Because I couldn’t control you anymore?” You were almost offended, but you forced yourself to stop and think about it before you reacted; it made sense for him to be so stand-offish and unsure.

He had been owned as a piece of property, probably been forced to do so much he wasn’t ok with, things that would probably haunt him long after monsters were actually able to be called free, and here you were trying not to be offended by the fact that he was unsure and insecure.

“uh, yeah, that,” He looked away and that made the last of your negative feelings fade.

You opened your mouth to say something, but a few more people dropped off more dirt and you waited until they walked away before you actually answered.

“I get it,” You said softly, putting your hand on his shoulder; he didn’t tense up this time and you figured it was just his head he was sensitive about, “I’ll tell you right now: I would like to keep this ‘whole thing’ going, if you’re ok with it. You’re funny and smart, and I would like to get to know you better.”

His head snapped in your direction and you smiled at him. His glowing blue eye searched between both of your eyes, maybe looking to see if you were telling the truth, or maybe because he just couldn’t believe you said that. Either way you squeezed his shoulder gently.

“I’m going to go check in with the others, ok?”

Sans nodded absently, turning just enough so that he could watch you disappear into the tunnel.

“ooh boy,” He finally muttered to himself, “anything else holding you back, pal?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	30. Hold Your Breath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> So, a friend from school asked me how I would feel if she drew a fanart of my fanfic, and I realized that I never really said anything here. I would _love_ to see fanart, either links posted in the comments or however tumblr does it (I'm trash who still doesn't understand tumblr very well :D), so if anyone needed permission, consider it granted! The only think I'd ask for is a link to the story  <3
> 
> OH, and how could I forget to mention...that the hit count....is oVER 9000??? Thank you all~~

It wasn’t until halfway through digging the next day that the biggest problem came to light.

You were taking your turn digging again with your group, focusing on your task as sweat started to build on your forehead. Your muscles ached and you felt yourself breathing deeper and faster...but you just couldn’t catch your breath. You stepped back out of the small alcove that you and the others had been digging out and nearly stumbled. You felt befuddled and confused, but it didn’t get any easier to breath.

“What’s wrong, nerd?” Undyne, who was easily the fastest digger even compared to Asgore and his massive paws, stopped to glance back at you, her eyes gliding over you to see if there were any visible injuries.

“I...I feel like,” You swallowed, taking a deep slow breath, “Like I can’t _breathe_.”

Undyne blinked and opened her mouth to respond, but Devon backed away from the alcove and nodded.

“Yeah, man,” He rubbed his chest, “It’s like...I dunno, I can’t catch my breath.”

“It feels like an asthma attack,” Another human, a girl you knew was named Vanessa, spoke up. She pushed her glasses up to wipe sweat from her nose and under her eyes, leaving dirt smudged there instead, “But if we’re all having the same feeling…”

The three of you looked around at each of the other humans and they all nodded in agreement.

It hit you hard enough to make you gasp, which almost left you coughing, “W-we’re in a sealed underground passage!”

“Yeah, and…?” Undyne glanced around, “It’s just you humans, it seems, so what’s the deal?”

You took another slow breath and answered, “Undyne, I don’t know how it is for Monsters, but humans need oxygen to be able to breathe; if we don’t have enough, we can pass out and die.”

Undyne froze and looked over at Alphys, “Hey! If that’s true, then…”

Alphys started to look panicked, “W-well, m-monsters don’t _n-need_ to b-breathe, b-but th-there’s o-only so m-much air d-down here…”

Inker caught on and the two of them put their heads together to do some quick math; ‘quick’ of course, was a relative term. It was a few minutes of them talking back and forth in quick spouting of numbers that no one seemed to understand but them.

Alphys froze when they both stopped talking and she looked around slowly, obviously counting how many humans were around her, her mouth forming the numbers even though no sound came out. You glanced around too, but didn’t bother to count; there weren’t as many humans as there were monsters, but it was a good number still.

“Th-there’s…” Alphys paled, and you tried not to focus on the way her yellow scales turned almost green when she paled like that.

“With all you humans, there’s less than an hour before you all start passing out on us,” Inker cut in, wrapping her wings around herself, “Well, ‘gorey? Any bright ideas?”

Everyone looked to Asgore, who froze and studied everyone’s faces while he tried to think of his next move. Even the humans who were taking a break, sitting against the walls were starting to look pale to his eyes, and Frisk had moved to your side, watching him with eyes that were half exhausted, half full of determination.

“Humans, please rest and conserve what strength you have,” He finally said, “Go now, my people, down the tunnel to warn the other humans; have them come back to rest.”

A few monsters quickly left to follow his orders.

You swallowed, a part of you glad for the rest, “But Asgore that will put so much more on everyone else…”

“We can’t afford to dig at this slope anymore,” Asgore said, his voice sounding firmer, “Inker, Alphys, we need to get to the surface within the hour, is that possible?”

Inker put a hand to her chin, and Alphys glanced at her before nodding, “I-it sh-should b-be, a-as long a-as w-we haven’t d-dug o-ourselves under a-a h-hill or s-something.”

“Even that won’t be too hard to deal with,” Inker said, moving to rouse a few Monsters who had been sleeping while they were taking a break, “Come on now! All of you, move and move!”

Asgore explained the situation to anyone who hadn’t heard it, mostly the humans who were walking back down the tunnel, the monsters who had been sleeping and Sans, who trailed along behind the group of humans.

His eyes found yours as Asgore explained what was happening and how they were going to try and fix it. You had settled yourself against one wall, with Frisk in your lap. It hit him how small you and the other humans looked; even Devon, who towered over most of the other humans and even joked about rivaling Asgore in height, curled in on himself almost like he was attempting to take up less space. Sans looked at you again and you offered him a smile, but he could see the paleness of your skin and the way you seemed to be forcing yourself to breathe deeply and slowly.

Sans turned to the dirt wall that everyone had been digging at, his brain whirring as the first group of monsters started to dig quickly at the earth, Undyne in the center, her arms moving as quickly as she could get them to move.

Frisk watched all the monsters move and start to dig, all the while with a grumpy look on their face.

“I want to help!” Frisk looked up and signed to you.

“I know, baby,” You said quietly, “But it’s time to think about others now; if you help, you might shorten the time everyone has to breathe…”

Frisk didn’t seem to understand completely, but nodded. Their eyes moved to Sans, who was standing a little behind the monsters who were digging, his hands shoved in his pockets. Even you could tell he was deep in thought, though you couldn’t begin to guess what about. Your felt a headache start behind your eyes.

“How accurate do you think their math was?”

You jumped a little at the voice to your right, but you glanced over and saw Gabbie settling in next to you, her eyes on Undyne’s back for a long moment before she looked toward you, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“No, its fine…” You glanced at Undyne before looking back at the woman who looked so much like you.

You thought for a moment before you actually answered her question.

“Between both Alphys and Inker? Probably spot on,” You finally said quietly.

Gabbie started, maybe thinking you didn’t want to talk, but she blinked at you in the firelight, “I…I guess you’re right; I…I’m just not ready to die down here.”

The way she said it, with the spark of determination and desperation, you couldn’t stop yourself from reaching out to touch her knee, “It’ll be fine.”

You noticed the way she tensed under your touch and you quickly pulled away, “I’m sorry, I didn’t-“

“N-no,” Gabbie pressed her lips together and took a couple of steadying breathes, seeming to need all her concentration to not fall into a panic, “It’s…it’s not you; I…”

There was a long pause, long enough for you to think that Gabbie might have fallen asleep, but she surprised you when she spoke again, her voice so quiet you almost didn’t hear it above the sound of the monster’s digging.

“My…my father is not a good person,” She finally said, “He…he’s the one who-“

You didn’t find out what he did, because there was a panicked sound coming from the other side of the tunnel.

“He just passed out! We have to get out!”

“Someone!”

“Everyone calm down!”

There were so many voices that your head pounded harder and you groaned, grabbing it to try and regain some focus.

“All that yelling, they’re going to waste air,” Gabbie whimpered, closing her eyes tightly.

“Humans, please!” Asgore’s voice rumbled from somewhere close.

Frisk was trying to get your attention. You realized at some point, you’d closed your eyes.

“Frisk…?” You said, opening your eyes and finding that focus was hard to hold.

You could barely see Frisk’s fingers sign out, “Look at Uncle Sans!”

Uncle? You couldn’t have seen that sign right…

Your eyes lifted to see that Undyne was clearing the monsters away from the digging area of the tunnel, and Sans was standing there instead. She looked confused, but you couldn’t fathom why, or even if anyone else noticed what Sans was doing.

A blue glow started on the wall where everyone was digging, growing to encompass the whole of it and, you imagined, all the dirt and earth that was behind it. You had a vague thought to wonder what he was doing—he had been sure to tell you that he handled time and space magic, not earth magic, so what was he doing?

Sans had to block out all the noise that was happening behind him, even as he tried not to think about how all that yelling couldn’t be good for anyone, let alone the humans who needed to breathe—you and Frisk were the first ones he could think about, but he pushed his magic further as he tried to circle as much dirt as he could, trying to feel for the surface…

As soon as he couldn’t feel his magic touching anymore dirt, he poured his whole being into his magic. There was no telling if this would work, and even if it did, he’d be completely drained—but he could already hear more yelling about more people passing out and a fear started in his belly when his thoughts strayed to you. Had you passed out yet? How much longer before the rest of them passed out and then just…didn’t wake up at all?

“Sans!” Undyne’s voice echoed from somewhere to his left, but he pushed her voice away.

Undyne pushed a few monsters behind her as Sans’s magical eye grew brighter, the fire that she’d only ever seen once—and once was enough for her, she thought—grew and started to flicker above his head. Undyne had never even _felt_ this kind of power before, not from Asgore, or even when Gerson first moved that chunk of earth to begin the tunnel.

Asgore was at her side, moving move monsters behind the both of them to protect them from the waves of energy coming off of Sans and his magic.

“What is he doing?” Asgore raised his voice, and for the first time, Undyne noticed the loud thrumming coming off of Sans.

“I think he’s trying to find a quicker way to the surface, but I don’t-“

There was a sound like the static on the TV turned up to full blast and Undyne stopped talking in favor of covering her ears. Everyone in the tunnel did, a split second of pain from the sound and then everything stopped.

You closed your eyes tightly and held Frisk against you tightly, turning your body to protect them, and you gasped when everything stopped….only to realize that you _could_ gasp. You could breathe easier again, like a weight had been lifted off of your chest. You lifted your head and turned to look. You blinked against the sudden light that filtered in from the end of the tunnel…and you realized that there was an end now.

Frisk was dragged up with you as you stood on shaky legs, but you had to lean heavily against the wall when a wave of dizziness hit you. The rush of air was pleasant, but after struggling for almost an hour…You glanced down and around and saw the relieved, still mostly terrified humans still recovering on the floor.

You saw Undyne and Asgore move out of the corner of your eye and you realized they were rushing to Sans’s side. You could hear their voices from here, but they were a blur of words and demands.

After a moment, you managed to stand up straight. Frisk bounced back quickly and the two of you hurried over to where Undyne and Asgore were kneeling on the ground.

Your heart dropped when you saw Sans on his hands on knees, shaking as he panted—despite monsters not needing air to survive, they still seemed to breathe—but he didn’t seem to be responding to Undyne or Asgore’s inquiries or worries. You fell to your knees in front of him and put your hands on his shoulders.

“Sans? Sans, answer me,” You pleaded, moving forward to help him sit back on his heels; he was slightly taller than you like this, but you just held him steady as you cupped his face, “Sans, what happened?”

You didn’t notice it when he had been on his hands on knees, but now that he was sitting up, you nearly gaped at how…skeletal he looked. Before, he just seemed to fill out his clothes and it gave him a husky, big-boned look, and he’d even seemed to have a gut, but now…now his clothes seemed to barely be draped over his bones.

His eye sockets were blank, and the darkness that looked back at you seemed…unnatural, like the void was looking back at you-- _into_ you—and you felt a chill go down your spine.

“Sans, _please_ answer me,” You ran your thumbs over his cheeks slowly.

And like a light switch, the glow of his eyes returned, dim at first, but pulling into sharp focus as you took a sigh of relief.

“Oh thank god,” Your shoulders sagged and you were happy to feel him balance on his own; you leaned forward and wrapped your arms around his ribcage, ignoring the fact that instead of feeling the warm thrum of his magic, all you felt was the coolness of his actual bones.

Sans glanced around in confusion for a moment, but as soon as he focused on the light that was filtering from the end of the tunnel—it was only about 30 or so feet from where he was sitting now, but it was pretty clear that it would have taken much longer than an hour to reach—he relaxed and draped his arms over your back.

“Sans, what did you _do_??” Undyne hissed from his left.

“i, uh,” He chuckled nervously, “i teleported the dirt.”

Undyne’s mouth fell open, “You _what_??”

“But to where?” Asgore deflated a little.

Sans refused to look at Asgore and glanced into your eyes before glancing past you, “i, uh, dunno.”

You blinked slowly; you knew that look. You’d seen it on other people before, and even caught yourself doing it…Sans was lying. You almost opened your mouth to ask why, but stopped when you caught his eyes flickering back to you. It was almost like he was trying to say something without saying it, but you weren’t sure just what. Either way, you closed your mouth as Undyne started to cackle.

“All that display of raw power and you _don’t know_??” Undyne nearly fell over from laughing, tears leaking out of her eyes, “Y-you lazy…”

Asgore sighed and shook his head, “I suppose it’s too late to worry about now…Lets help everyone out of this tunnel.”

A few humans were still passed out, but with the help of everyone else, soon everyone was out in the open air.

You paused to look around, and blinked slowly trying to keep your eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight; it was still only about 2 in the afternoon, or so you guessed, but the warmth of the sun warmed you, even though you hadn’t realized you’d been cold. The wind blew your clothes and hair and you made a face when you saw that there was a lot of dust and dirt being blown away as well.

You wanted a shower, but as you saw everyone settling for a rest, you realized it would have to wait.

“How far is Mt. Ebott from here?” You moved and settled between Sans and Alphys, though your question was directed to the small dinosaur.

“I-its st-still a f-few m-miles away,” Alphys answered easily, “B-but th-this f-forest should p-provide cover f-for u-us th-the whole w-way.”

Sans glanced toward the Resistance and then plopped into a laying position so that his head was in your lap.

You jumped a little before looking down at him with a wry smile, “Comfy?”

“incredibly,” Sans answered with a tilt of his grin, “i find myself _leg_ xremely tired, and sleep is just kind of _lap_ ping at me, sweetheart.”

You felt a small burn on your cheeks when he used the nickname so freely, and the giggle that came from Alphys made you blush harder, but his puns soothed your embarrassment as you giggled quietly.

“Well, fine, nap away,” You answered softly, “I’ll wake you when Asgore has us move out.”

Sans made some kind of noncommittal noise and before you could even glance down at him again, you heard his breathing even out and he dropped into sleep.

“…wish I could do that,” You snorted quietly.

“H-he’s a-always b-been able t-to d-do that,” Alphys supplied, “A-any wh-where, a-at any t-time, and o-on anything.”

Undyne plopped down on Alphys’s other side, sparing Sans a glance before she snorted, “Bone boy there has Asgore on edge.”

You paused before asking, “Why? He just saved all of us humans.”

“Well…he’s never showed that kind of power before,” Undyne said with a shrug, “I always thought that Papyrus was the more powerful out of the two of them—even if the cinnamon bunny could barely match me, but still.”

At the confused look you gave her, Undyne continued, “See, the Underground housed all of us monsters, every single one, but while I couldn’t name every monster to you, I still knew a good number of them. Sans and Papyrus were strange in that they just sorta…showed up one day. Skeleton monsters are rare enough anyway, but the two of them just showing up was kinda…”

Alphys finished Undyne’s thought, “P-peculiar; th-they were b-both stronger th-than the a-average monster, but S-Sans n-never r-really w-wanted to sh-show anyone h-his magic. H-he j-just s-sort of l-let us g-guess.”

You hummed quietly—that certainly _sounded_ like Sans—and glanced down at his sleeping face. It was smoothed of the normal worry lines that seemed to just etch their way onto his face the more he got involved with others. You found yourself gently tracing his cheekbone with your thumb, but your thoughts were elsewhere.

After Asgore suggested sleep for everyone—to allow the other humans to recover and for the initial diggers to rest—Undyne moved so her back was pressed against yours, ordering you to lean back so you’d hold each other up, before pulling Alphys into her lap.

You glanced around and saw Frisk crawling into Asgore’s lap and you felt a small smile appear. Things had turned _very_ strange since you had gotten Frisk back, but…

You glanced down at Sans and your smile widened.

But it was certainly a good kind of strange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	31. Just What Happened To All That Dirt?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> EXTREMELY SHORT NONSENSE CHAPTER
> 
> Everyone was super curious about what happened to the dirt, so I wrote a short chapter to explain it :3

There wasn’t any real reason that he still peaked in on reality, but considering who was still bugging the humans, he was glad that he had. Keeping that… _child_ from destroying something in reality was currently his only reason not to let himself fall back into the pit that was called insanity.

His heart broke for Papyrus, his little babybones, but seeing as he couldn’t affect reality any more than the child could…he could just hope that Sans and this new interesting human would find a way to interfere.

Gaster felt a disturbance in the void, which interrupted his thoughts.

His thoughts were all he had anymore, since there was absolutely nothing for his senses to detect in the void. It was neither light, nor dark, nor was there any particular smell, even from his own body. There was nothing to hear, or to feel, except for his own emotions and thoughts and so more often than not, that was where he stayed.

Except, now, he could sense magic.

More directly, it was magic that belonged to his son, Sans. There was one moment where Gaster was afraid that Sans had somehow fallen into the void, but he paused, considering that there wasn’t any logical reason that Sans would have found his way to this empty place.

Gaster tried to move, but before he could fathom which way he should try to go—as if there was any sort of direction in this barren place—there was a tapping on the top of his skull.

He stopped, moving his body for the first time in what felt like eons, he looked up.

Then he was subsequently buried in a loose pile of earth.

“What the f-“

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	32. Underground, Sweet Underground

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I'm very happy everyone was entertained by the last chapter ;) Gaster's going to be pretty entertained by that dirt for a while, so its a win-win in my book~
> 
> I just want you all to know, I love you all and I appreciate you reading this! I hope you continue to enjoy it, no matter its twists and turns.

There was something about hiking that always made you feel alive in the moment. The air was filled with the sound of birds chirping, and the smell of summer. The sun was shining, but thanks to the trees overhead, you didn’t feel too hot, or sticky from sweat.

Dusk wasn’t far off, thanks to the nap everyone took after leaving the tunnel, but Asgore had been sure that it wasn’t a long hike to get to the base of Mt. Ebott. You figured it was true enough; Frisk had managed to run from your backyard to the hole in the mountain that dropped them into the Underground in the first place when they had first run away, and the hike seemed well enough, even as the ground began to work its way into an incline as the Resistance started climbing the mountain.

Asgore had elected to carry Muffet the distance, and his paws were so huge that she rested comfortably in his hands without being jostled too much. Asgore didn’t even seem to mind the spiders crawling up his arms and onto his shoulders.

Inker seemed to mind greatly. She had immediately flown from his shoulders and nearly collided with the side of your head as you were hiking.

“Oh good, I didn’t miss,” Inker grumbled, wrapping one wing around the back of your head to secure herself while she was on your shoulder.

You had to catch your footing again and glanced at her, though with the way she hugged the back of your head, you couldn’t move it easily.

“A little warning next time?” You squeezed Frisk’s hand before you both continued hiking, you with a new passenger.

“Eh? Sure, why not,” Inker pushed her glasses up her nose, but you couldn’t see how they stayed up in the first place. They didn’t hook to her ears, or even to anything, now that you were looking.

“if i didn’t know any better, i’d say you were flying _blind_ ,” Sans chuckled. 

You snorted, but watched Sans from the corner of your eye. He still looked thin, with his clothes hanging off of him—you weren’t sure _what_ was holding his shorts up anymore—and the bags under his eyes were bigger, even after the nap that he’d had. Still, he was up, and he was punning, so you tried not to hover. It still didn’t stop you from shooting him glances as he hiked over the trail.

Frisk tugged your arm and you looked down at them as best you could.

“How long will we be in the Underground?”

“I…well, I honestly don’t know, Frisk,” You shrugged, but that only caused Inker to clutch your head tighter, “Sorry, Inker.”

It wasn’t long after that you realized that the group was now following a trail. The worn dirt path cut between trees and restricted the growth of even grass. It seemed well used, but part of you wondered how that could be, since you got the idea that the hole Frisk fell into was something no one knew existed.

Your question got its answer when Frisk tugged your hand again.

Before you could ask what they needed, you saw that they were pointing off the trail and up a semi-steep cliff. You could see a path—sort of—that looked cut into the wall.

“I climbed that before I fell into the Underground!” They seemed so proud of themselves, you almost didn’t want to ask.

“But…why??”

Frisk paused, as if thinking about it, before answering, “I…I felt like I had to.”

They had to? Like a compulsion?

You slowed your steps and turned your body to look at the cliff, trying to imagine _why_. A child like Frisk, who had just lost their parents…running alone in the woods, feeling alone, letting the darkness of night move into the dawning of a day and they see a cliff. Just what kind of compulsion would be strong enough-

An echo of a giggle rang in the back of your head and you winced, and hand coming up to touch the side of your head.

Was that sound real?

“ _hike _kid you not, we should probably keep moving,” Sans’s voice came from over your left shoulder and you nodded absently.__

__“Yeah…yeah, alright.”_ _

__~*~_ _

__The entrance that Asgore lead everyone to—or exit, seeing as it was where the monsters first left the Underground—looked more like an old mineshaft, even though there were no signs indicating it as such. It was also taller than what you’d imagine a mineshaft to look like, and it was wide enough that you guessed two of Asgore could walk side by side with a little room to spare. After you past the entrance, you noticed that the ceiling shot up another 10 or so feet, reminding you more of some kind of grand entrance hall than the entrance to an Underground._ _

__Still, you trudged on, not far behind Asgore as he lead the way for the whole of the Resistance, through this entrance area and then through some sort of antechamber that lead its way into a throne room. The entrance area and the antechamber had been cut into the stone of the mountain, with walls barely smoothed, but having ornate and beautiful archways that lead from room to room, but the throne room took your breath away._ _

__Bright yellows for the walls and the grand windows that lined the room, and you could peak at the orange tiled floor through the apparently garden that had sprung up in the middle of the room._ _

__You blinked and slowly moved out of the way for more people to pour into the room, but many seemed to stop the way you had in the doorway. Hundreds, no, more like _thousands_ of golden flowers had sprung up here in this room, their vines has started to take over the walls and a few of the windows were completely covered; even the throne in the middle of the room had flowers and vines starting to overtake it completely._ _

__One of your hands come up to touch your lips, but you didn’t cover your mouth completely. Your mind was vaguely aware that this was Asgore’s throne room, and despite wanting to deny it, it looked like the original planting of these flowers had been an intentional action. You glanced at Asgore, but he didn’t seem to think the presence of these flowers was anything unusual as he talked to Undyne in quiet tones._ _

__You glanced back around at the flowers and wondered just sort of state he had been—mentally—before Frisk had freed the monsters from the Underground…_ _

__Asgore moved his conversation to include you and Inker—who was still on your shoulder—and Undyne, Alphys, and Sans followed him. You held Frisk’s hand a little tighter, because you could feel their nervous excited energy at being back in the Underground and you didn’t want them running off._ _

__“There are many abandoned homes in New Home for the Resistance to take up stead in,” Asgore started to tell everyone._ _

__“I-I w-would like t-to r-return t-t-to my l-lab,” Alphys said, trying to hide behind Undyne even as she spoke, “I-I think I-I c-can help M-Muffet f-from there.”_ _

__Asgore paused before nodding, “Though it may be best for many of the humans to stay here in New Home, I am not restricting their access to the Underground, or any of you.”_ _

__He hesitated, as if something was on his mind, but he wasn’t sure how to bring it up._ _

__“Don’t worry, Asgore,” Undyne clapped him on the back, though it didn’t move him, “After a day or two to settle in, I’m sure everyone will be ready to start working with the Resistance again.”_ _

__Asgore’s shoulders seemed to sag a little and a relieved smile came to his face, “That is a comfort, thank you Undyne.”_ _

__“No prob, you softy!” Undyne chuckled._ _

__“I think I’ll join you at your lab, Alphys,” Inker hopped off of your shoulder and you rolled it when you realized that her weight, however slight, caused a small knot in your shoulder._ _

__“O-okay.”_ _

__You saw Alphys, Undyne and Inker break off from the group—Undyne had Asgore put Muffet on her back, so Undyne could carry her piggyback style—and then you shifted from one foot to the other as Asgore began to pass the information about the homes in New Home being open and organizing a few monsters to help the humans settle._ _

__“Guess we better do the same, huh, Frisk?” You glanced down at them, but found that they were shaking their head, “Well, what then?”_ _

__“ Can we stay with Uncle Sans?”_ _

__You blinked before glancing at Sans, who chuckled while you answered, “W-well, that’s up to Sans, and that’s pretty intrusive, Frisk…”_ _

__“ I wanna stay in Snowdin! Frisk, cute little Frisk who couldn’t use their voice, was somehow managing to _whine_ through ASL._ _

__A sigh left you, quietly, but Sans chuckled again and spoke up._ _

__“snowdin’s gonna be as empty as new home,” Sans shrugged, “why don’t you check it out with the kiddo and let me _snow_ what you think? i think it would be _ice_ to have company down there and i do owe ya for lettin me stay with you and all.”_ _

__With the puns that Sans was throwing your way and with the fact that the place was called ‘Snowdin’, you guessed it would be cooler than here in New Home, but you wondered exactly _how_ cold. However, you didn’t hear anyone else mentioning Snowdin, and you certainly didn’t want Sans to be on his own._ _

__“Well, I don’t want to intrude, but…” You offered him a smile._ _

__“ We’re going to Snowdin!” Frisk fisted the air like they had won a medal and then started to tug you along, past the throne and toward the door at the opposite end of the chamber._ _

__“Slow down, Frisk,” You couldn’t stop the smile on your face and you glanced back to see Sans following._ _

__“hey, kiddo,” Sans’s voice seemed to be enough to slow Frisk down, and they looked up at Sans, “what say we take a shortcut?”_ _

__Frisk, who had pulled you through the door and then started to pull you to the right, stopped and nodded quickly, reaching up with their free hand to grab Sans’s hand._ _

__Sans winked up at you before he started to lead you to the left instead. While you wondered exactly what kind of shortcut could be in the opposite direction—you stopped your thought when you remembered what Sans said about his own magic. Teleportation. That made your stomach twist in an unexpected way as you walked along with Frisk and Sans, neither of whom seemed worried at the idea of it._ _

__You half wondered what it will feel like when your eyes caught a staircase that lead down to the right coming up. It was nearly pitch black down the steps and a part of you felt something…wrong…with that darkness. It reminded you of a lot of your nightmares and you swallowed hard before you tried to turn away._ _

__In doing that, you noticed that Sans was leading you toward a brick wall. You opened your mouth to say something—you trusted him and all, but just _what in the fresh hell_ \--but almost as soon as you did, all that came out was a small gasp._ _

__The brick wall seemed to melt before your eyes, the dull gray color of it fading to a white and then forming a new sight. You felt a sense of vertigo as you saw trees—pine trees! Underground!—and fresh fallen snow. You saw quaint little houses lining a snow covered street and the only thing that kept you walking was Frisk’s hand holding yours. You could almost _feel_ the cold air._ _

__And then you were there._ _

__You stopped walking then, your hands coming up to grab your arms, almost dropping your duffel bag in the process. It was absolutely _snowing_ underground and you could feel the proof of it against your ankles as the snow came up to hit mid-shin for you._ _

__“H-holy shit,” You said already feeling cold, “I’d ask h-how this is possible, but c-can we get inside first?”_ _

__Sans blinked before chuckling, and even Frisk smiled at you. Both seemed resistant to the cold, but you wondered if it was because you were in a t-shirt and shorts, while Sans was a skeleton monster and Frisk was in their usual blue and purple sweater and long jeans._ _

__The walk through town, though cold, was pleasant. Even abandoned, there was a certain charm about this place. You could see a few other buildings, one with the lettering “Grillby’s”, which seemed to be some kind of restaurant or bar, while another proudly displayed “Librarby”, which you could only assume was something close to a library._ _

__Sans lead the way through the town as you turned your head from side to side to try and not miss anything. There was something so totally unique, even as the town seemed like any old small town from the surface and it left a giddy feeling in your stomach._ _

__When you saw the house at the end of the row, you finally said something._ _

__“Oh, how cute,” You smiled, moving ahead a little, “It’s still got Christmas lights up and everything.”_ _

__Sans chuckled, “well, paps thought they were a _bright_ idea, so they never came down.”_ _

__You paused and blinked at him, “This is your home?”_ _

__“was, yeah,” Sans walked past you with Frisk and opened the door easily before you roused yourself to follow._ _

__The house was simply put together, with the kitchen open and across from the front door and the living room being spacious. There was a staircase that lead up to a balcony hallway, and you could see doors lining the back wall._ _

__You counted three and glanced at Sans, “You and Papyrus have a lovely place, Sans.”_ _

__“yeah, its just a little dust here and an empty bedroom there,” His eyes were on the first door up the stairs and you guessed it was Papyrus’s room._ _

__“Hey, a little cleaning and it’ll be right as rain—or, well, snow in this case,” You put your hand on his shoulder, offering him a smile as Frisk flopped onto the couch, launching dust into the air._ _

__Sans chuckled despite himself and nodded, “right, i think you got a good plan there; don’t let me _rain_ on your parade.”_ _

__You smiled at him before glancing at Frisk and bursting out laughing. Frisk sat there in the middle of the couch, coughing and now covered head to foot in dust and dirt._ _

__“Okay, first, I think Frisk needs a shower…”_ _

__Frisk made a face, but hopped off of the couch and hurried up the stairs, past the first door and into the second while you shook your head. You reached into your duffel bag and pulled out a small bathroom bag before you walked up after Frisk._ _

__Sans watched you go before glancing around the house again on his own. Even though Papyrus was gone, Sans managed to find that with you and Frisk in the house he wasn’t tearing himself up inside as much as he thought he would. The lights in his eyes went out when he realized…_ _

__He really wanted—no, _needed_ you and Frisk to stay in this house with him; he didn’t want to have to handle being here alone. He didn’t want to have to face those dark thoughts alone._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	33. An Interlude, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNINGS: **   
>  ** ABUSE **   
>  ** VIOLENCE **   
>  ** CHARACTER DEATH **
> 
> Before we get into this _superdarkandhardtowritechapter_ , I have three points to make!
> 
> 1) SOMEONE MADE A FANART OF GASTER AND HIS DIRTPILE!!!!  
> [Chapter 32](http://gingler.tumblr.com/post/145951649518/soooo-ive-been-reading-hell-is-a-place-on-the), done by the wonderful [Gingler](http://gingler.tumblr.com/)  
> (seriously, go check out their tumblr, its soooo cooool~)
> 
> 2)I love requests in my tumblr ask box! I've gotten two so far (one is finished and you can read it [Here](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/post/145366445511/night-terror); and one is currently in the process of being written!) My ask box is always open for people to request drabbles or one-shots, or if anyone wants to talk--oh, and I've figured out how to turn on anonymous asks! haha...
> 
> 3)This chapter!...ooh, boy, this chapter....this was hard to write, let me tell you...I don't even want to think about how hard it is to read, and I'm so sorry for that, my lovelies :(
> 
> I love you all!

When your world is composed of nothing but pain, it wasn’t hard to slip into thoughts of happier times, and happier places. For Papyrus, it was the longing wish to see his brother Sans, and wanting to hear his terrible puns again. He wanted to cook spaghetti with Undyne again and talk to Alphys about things he couldn’t always understand, like her love of anime, and all that sciency stuff that he couldn’t always wrap his head around. Papyrus wanted to see Mettaton, and watch his movies again; he wanted to see Frisk, and solve puzzles together again.

Papyrus felt another rib crack and he was brought painfully back to the present as he felt something wet and warm drip from the wound and onto the floor. It was a hazy thought, but Papyrus didn’t realize skeleton monsters could bleed before today.

“Where is Gabriella? _Where is she?_ ” The man wiped Papyrus’s blood off on his tailored suit, yet despite his angry tone his body and movements were calm and collected, “I know that you _know_ where she is; now talk.”

Maybe it was a blessing that the only thing the collar couldn’t control was the words coming out of his mouth.

“I-I do not know!” Papyrus still couldn’t force his voice louder—being beaten for his normal exuberance over and over had trained his own body to tone it down, no matter the situation—but he tried his best to at least keep his tone even, “I did not know she had left before you came in here, Master!”

The man paused to take a long drag of his cigar, taking in the sight of the skeleton leaning on the wall on the floor.

Papyrus was still naked, with nothing but the collar on, and while the man saw no real purpose in it, it seemed to humiliate the skeleton and that was fine by him. From this session, he’s cracked Papyrus’s collarbone, and three of his ribs. Papyrus’s sternum now had burn on it from his cigar. His eyes traveled to the collar around the skeleton’s neck.

10/680 HP.

“Heal him,” He snapped at a small Vegetoid, its collar placed precariously around the green vegetation growing out of its head.

The Vegetoid squeaked and jumped forward, their body glowing green before they even got close to Papyrus.

He waited while Papyrus was healed, by both eating the green plants that the Vegetoid produced and from the green aura; he watched the number slowly climb, minute after minute—25, 47, 69; the man watched the burn on Papyrus’s knit itself back together, and the cracks slowly fuse, even though the monster’s blood stayed in its place—the process was slow, but the man was patient.

Once Papyrus was back to full health, the Vegetoid slowly started to back away, but it wasn’t quick enough for the man’s taste. He offered a swift kick, knocking the creature away and making it fall to the floor, jostling the collar and almost making it fall off.

Papyrus moved on instinct, trying to reach out to steady the smaller monster and catch their collar, but the man immediately spoke.

“Stop.”

And Papyrus froze. Fortunately, the Vegetoid steadied themselves, and the collar remained on, but the man was now looking between the two of them with a spark behind his eyes and a smile on his face.

Dread rose up in Papyrus’s rib cage and the only thing stopping him from cowering away was the order from the man that he had to stop.

“You’re a very compassionate shithole, aren’t you?” The man’s voice took on an almost sweet tone, and Papyrus thought that if he was able to throw up, he would be dangerously close from the dread of knowing something _horrible_ was about to happen, “That’s a very endearing trait you have there…”

The man chuckled and moved to the Vegetoid, ordering them to stay still before picking them up and casually inspecting the monster in his hands.

“You know, you monsters are exceedingly weak,” The man started to say, “When I designed these collars, I had no idea that I didn’t have to use as much energy as I did in order to dust you; the fact that these collars exist proved my _intent_ in harming you creatures, and that’s enough, isn’t it?”

It was a rhetorical question and all Papyrus could do was watch in horror as the man started to fiddle with the Vegetoid’s collar, nearly displacing it once or twice. The Vegetoid started to tremble and green tears started to fall from their eyes.

“No, please,” The Vegetoid’s voice was quiet and pleading.

“Don’t speak,” The man said without any decorum, simply continuing his movements with his fingers as he addressed Papyrus next, “Where’s my Gabriella?”

“I…I do not know, please,” Papyrus couldn’t find any strength in his voice, but his eyes were locked with the Vegetoid’s, “P-please, do not hurt-“

“I’m not going to do anything,” the man chuckled, cutting off Papyrus, “You are, if you don’t tell me where my daughter is.”

Papyrus’s body went cold and his body finally moved to fall back against the wall, “N-no, I…I…”

“Papyrus,” It was the first time in a _long_ time that the man used his actual name, “Take the collar off of this monster, slowly.”

The skeleton tried to press his body back against the wall, even as he felt the collar around his neck start to warm up and activate, “No, no, I will not-“

“Tell me where Gabriella is!” The man snarled, holding out the Vegetoid, “Tell me and I’ll order you to stop.”

Papyrus’s limbs started to move without his permission. He tried to fight it, he tried so hard, but his arms didn’t even shake with indecision.

“Stop! I do not know! Stop this, I will not…I will not hurt…” Except that he was _going to_ ; his body wasn’t responding and his was still moving forward and reaching for the collar that was sitting on top of the Vegetoid’s head, “No, no!”

He could feel the wet tears starting to fall down his own face. The Vegetoid—still under orders not to move—could only sit there and cry.

“Papyrus, I…I don’t wanna be dusted,” The Vegetoid whimpered. Their body still trembled. Papyrus’s hands got closer.

His fingers laced around the clasp of the collar. The Vegetoid closed their eyes.

“I…I am sorry,” Papyrus whimpered.

The man scoffed as the collar was pulled off and a shock of energy surrounded the Vegetoid and turned them to a white dust that felt like silk as it slipped through his hands and smelled like boiled vegetables. The smell sparked a memory in the man’s mind, of a moment in his childhood; of a kitchen filled with warmth and love and his mother gently singing to him as she cooked dinner.

The memory was gone as soon as it flashed through his mind and he glanced down at his hands to see the dust was clinging to his hands.

Papyrus was kneeling in front of him, orange tears pouring from those empty sockets and the man started to chuckle before it came out in a torrent of laughter.

“I guess you really didn’t know where Gabriella went,” He rubbed his hands together and tried to ignore the fact that the dust was still clinging to his hands, “I’ll just leave this pile in here with you…”

He turned to leave, but froze in his tracks when Papyrus shouted.

“YOU BASTARD!” Papyrus’s voice nearly echoed off the walls as his emotions crashed through him, “WHO GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO DO THIS? THAT VEGETOID NEVER HURT ANYONE, AND YOU…AND I…”

Papyrus’s steam left almost as soon as it was there and he sagged against the wall, his hands hold up so he could stare at them and at the dust that covered them, “And I…and I…”

More tears started to fall, and a sob escaped the tall skeleton.

The man felt rage swell in his stomach, “Who gives me the right?”

His movements were swift as he knocked Papyrus to the ground with a right hook, “ _I_ gave myself the right! There is only power in this world; it’s a dog-eat-dog world and only the powerful will survive, and I will _take_ whatever power I have to!”

He knelt down and put his knee in the middle of Papyrus’s femur, while grabbing either end of it and he started to pull. Papyrus tried to shake the man off, scrambled to try and stop him, but the man shouted.

“Don’t stop me!”

All Papyrus could do was lay there screaming as the man nearly tore his femur in half.

Papyrus trembled and shook from the pain, noises leaving his mouth that he didn’t think he’d ever heard anyone or anything make before. Blood oozed out of his wound and started to puddle beneath him, but all he could do was lay there and shake violently from the pain.

The man stood, retrieving the cigar he lost and took a deep breath before he was as calm and collected as when he first walked into the room.

“Don’t you dare heal yourself, until your close to bleeding out,” He lit the cigar again, blowing the smoke down toward Papyrus, “You aren’t allowed to die, fucker, do not die.”

Papyrus moaned in pain and the man turned and left the room, slamming the door and its lock closed before glancing toward his office, where he saw just the man he wanted to see.

“Jacobs,” The man said the name gruffly and walked toward his office, which was at the end of the hallway.

Despite the barren way he kept the room that Papyrus was locked in, the rest of the home was immaculate, with plush red carpets and white walls lined with expensive paintings. It was brightly lit from both windows and light fixtures and it clearly highlighted the blood and dust that was on his suit.

The man, George Jacobs the head of the Masters’ private security force, stared at his boss in almost horror before he covered it quickly.

“Mr. Masters,” He gave a slight bow of his head in respect, “You called for me?”

Victor Masters sat in his chair, crossing his legs and leaning back as he studied Jacobs for a long moment, folding his hands over his stomach.

“Any luck in finding my daughter, Jacobs?”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Masters,” Jacobs said carefully, “She has not returned to your ex-wife, nor has she shown up at any police stations or hospitals; she seems to be very intelligent and finding her-“

“Just _find_ her, dammit,” Victor’s voice was low and threatening, “Send out forces in plain clothes and search the fucking streets if you have to, but find her or you’ll find out just what I do in that locked room over there.”

The threat was clear and Jacobs felt a chill go up his spine as he straightened it, “Y-yes, sir!”

Knowing he was dismissed, Jacobs stood and started to leave, but he paused at the door and glanced back.

“Sir…”

The man was back to his calm demeanor, and almost friendly when he answered, “Yes, Jacobs?”

“You…uh, you may want to wash your face, before you meet with anyone else.”

Victor paused, blinking slowly before he reached into a drawer and pulled out a hand mirror. He didn’t look into his own eyes, which he knew were green and clouded with age, but his eyes were drawn to the dark red stain on his face that was now a muddled color because of the dust that now clung to his skin.

He blinked at it for a moment before a chuckle escaped him. Jacobs started when a loud guffaw left his boss, and there was something rather horrifying at watching his boss break down in laughter at the sight of blood and monster dust on his face. Jacobs excused himself, almost running away from the echoing laughter that seemed to come from the very walls around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Summary:**  
>  In this chapter, we learn that Papyrus is being tortured for information on Gabbie's whereabouts, but Papyrus refuses to say anything, simply claiming that he has no idea where Gabbie could be. The man--who we learn is named Victor Masters--forces Papyrus to take off a Vegetoid's collar, dusting the poor monster. Masters orders the head of his security to begin patrolling the streets, looking for Gabbie in order to return her to his clutches.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	34. The New Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNINGS: **   
>  ** Depressive Thoughts **
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> So, I put the warning there because Sans does have a moment of darker thoughts; I didn't want to accidentally trigger someone, so the warning will stay.
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL! The overwhelming number of you who got as emotional as I did writing the last chapter warmed my heart and I wanted to tell you all that I appreciate your support and your desperate want for Papyrus to get saved! Don't worry, your concerns have been heard! Just bear with me on this!

It was lucky that you had remembered that bathroom bag, because of course Frisk didn’t spare a thought to their toothbrush or anything else they’d need for hygiene. A part of you didn’t want to think about what they had done after they ran away.

Still, you knew that you would probably take a turn in the shower if Sans didn’t think you both were intruding.

Before that, you managed to get Sans to show you were you could find a few rags that had been left when they moved to the surface and you started on the cleaning. It wasn’t as deep of a cleaning as you’d like—Sans didn’t seem to know what a vacuum was until you told him it was the machine you used back in your house for the carpets—and you didn’t have any other cleaning supplies other than water from the tab and elbow grease, but by the time Frisk left the shower, things looked better already.

Sans had helped a little, showing you where things were and moving things with you when you needed it, but other than that you hadn’t really noticed if he’d done much other than watch you. He almost seemed at a loss for what to do and it occurred to you that Papyrus probably was the one who cleaned when they were here in the Underground.

When Frisk came out of the shower, Sans spoke before you could ask.

“your turn, sweetheart,” He offered you a grin as he shoved his hands into his pockets and sank into the couch in a way that you could call familiar.

“Ah…thanks, Sans,” You offered him a sheepish smile before taking your duffel back up the stairs and into the bathroom.

The air was still steamy from Frisk’s shower and you happily turned it back on, ready to get dust and dirt off of your skin.

Out in the living room, Frisk—with their hair still a little wet from the shower—sat on the couch next to Sans.

“Can we stay here, Sans?” Frisk turned in their seat.

Sans chuckled, “i don’t mind, kiddo, but you gotta help me convince your aunt.”

Frisk paused to think about it, ignoring the few drops of water that fell from their hair onto what seemed to be pj’s: an oversized t-shirt and long pants.

“i don’t think paps would mind much if one of you slept in his bed,” Sans tried to keep the emotion out of his voice, and he thought he succeeded until Frisk gave him a glance, so Sans quickly added, “it’ll be nice to have you guys _PJ_ -cent to my room.”

His pun seemed to immediately take Frisk’s mind off of whatever path it started down as Frisk burst into giggles; relief took Sans. He wasn’t good with emotions. They made him feel out of control, no matter the issue.

As soon as Frisk’s giggles died down, they got a large smile on their face before they hopped off the couch and signed, “I’m going to bed! Aunty can’t carry me anymore, not through Snowdin!”

And without even waiting to see Sans’s reaction to said plan, Frisk turned and bolted up the stairs and into Papyrus’s room. Sans blinked after them, before he chuckled and settled deeper into the couch, and he realized he could just hear the shower going over the sound of the silence.

It was a comfort to know that you and Frisk were here; just like back at your house. He could hear the life in the house even from his bedroom and it kept him from the lonesome thoughts of being alone. He couldn’t think of a time he’d ever _not_ lived with Papyrus, so that past few years had been…strange, in a word. Even after living through the resets and all the mess that started here in the Underground, he’d never felt _alone_ ; yes, he’d been the only one who knew about the resets (other than Frisk and that strange yellow flower), but with Papyrus there to brighten his day…he’d never been truly alone.

Now he had no idea where Papyrus was. He’d told Frisk about the circus, and it hadn’t been a lie. The last time Sans had seen Papyrus was when the taller skeleton _was_ with the circus; but time had passed, and before Sans knew it, Papyrus had just…disappeared.

The few other Monsters who had been there in the circus had mentioned something about a richly dressed man coming and asking to purchase Papyrus directly, but knew no more than that. No name, no real description to go off of, nothing. A dead end that even Sans couldn’t begin to try and follow.

It had been clear to him that the man had known _of_ Papyrus, to want to purchase him the way that the other monsters described, but Sans couldn’t begin to guess why.

Skeleton monsters were rare—Sans and Papyrus were the only ones now that Gaster was…--so that could have been a motive. It could also be that Papyrus had been a well-known face when monsters first emerged from the Underground; Sans himself had been purchased by his last owner because of his loose connection to Asgore and Toriel, a sort of bragging point or something that he didn’t want to try to understand. Or it could be a myriad of other reasons that Sans couldn’t even begin to think of and his baby brother was out there, somewhere, and Sans couldn’t even begin to try and protect him from the horrors that Sans had seen done to Monsters and what if Papyrus had already been hurt or what if he was already dead and Sans couldn’t see it because of the _stupid **fucking website**_-

Sans was nearly hyperventilating as his thoughts started to spiral down into the dark place he was always afraid of. The place where his emotions ruled and his logic meant nothing. A place he’d been trapped in before, during the early part of the fiasco with the resets; a place he was only able to escape by learning apathy, and learning to give up because nothing, and no one, mattered…

Without realizing it, he suddenly was aware of a sweet, slow song filtering over the room, and unconsciously, he relaxed into the couch again and his breathing started to slow.

He glanced up at the bathroom door and realized you were singing in the shower; some human song he’d never heard before—not that he was interested, even if he’d been given a chance—but the way you sang it…it soothed him even as he chuckled when you cut yourself off from hitting a sour note or two.

It wasn’t long after that he heard the shower turn off and the silence the fell over the room would have pushed Sans back into those dark thoughts, but the bathroom door opened and you started humming, even as you started to walk back down the stairs with your duffel bag over your shoulder. You weren’t dressed in pj’s, but jeans and a t-shirt which looked much warmer than the shorts and sleeveless shirt you’d been in before.

“Where’s Frisk?” You glanced toward the kitchen, but didn’t see them in there.

“the kid said they were exhausted, so i let them crash in papyrus’s room,” Sans offered you a shrug and closed one eye lazily.

You let out a small laugh, “That and they want to stay here, so they’re hoping to stall me, right?”

Sans chuckled, “well, you caught us.”

“Both of you were in on it?”

“pretty much,” Sans shoved his hands into his pockets, closing his eyes while he spoke, “the kiddo spent a lotta time here with pap and me, so i get why they wanna stay; if i’m being honest, i kinda want ‘em to stay too.”

“Only kinda?” You smiled, feeling a little more relaxed as Sans spoke and sat on the opposite end of the couch, turned so that your back was to the armrest, so that you could face Sans.

“eh, well, maybe a little more than kinda,” Sans shrugged, “guess you could say frisk was _determined_ to make me like them, no _kid_ ding.”

You snorted and shook your head, “Those were a little vague; you can do better.”

“you caught me,” Sans’s grin widened, “guess just being in your presence leaves my brain feeling like j- _yellow_.”

A blush lit your face and you pressed a hand to one of your cheeks as a giggle left you, “Flirting with a bad pun? Careful, or you might get me to kiss you, _Sans_ exception.”

Sans actually turned his head to look at you, blue staining his cheeks as he stared at you in what you thought was awe, before he started to chuckle. You smiled proudly at your accomplishment, feeling a warm feeling gather in your chest as you watched him laugh. There was a beat where Sans turned to look at you, still grinning wide, before he moved and you felt your own blush make a reappearance.

He pushed himself toward you, moving so that one knee was on the couch in front of your folded leg, the other planted on the floor as he rested a hand on the back of the couch and the other on the armrest behind you, leaning over you as you pressed back to the arm, your breath coming quicker as Sans leaned closer, his eyes half-lidded and his grin pulled into something mischievous.

Warmth pooled in your stomach, and your hands moved to press into the couch on either side of your hips, trying to ground yourself as you looked directly into Sans’s eye sockets. You swallowed when he got close enough that you could feel his body heat.

“promise?”

His question almost didn’t register, but you somehow managed to nod dumbly.

“knock knock.”

You blinked, a small giggle leaving you before you answered, “Who’s there?”

“honey bee.”

With a tilt of your head, you looked up at him with curiosity; you hadn’t heard this one before. Sans waited expectantly, his eyebrows raising.

“Honey bee who?”

Sans leaned forward until his teeth were almost touching you lips while he answered, “honey bee a dear, and give me a kiss.”

A feeling of lightheadedness came over you before you smiled and leaned forward, pressing your lips to his teeth and sighing through your nose as you felt the thrum of magic against your lips. The hand that was on the back of the couch came up to rest on the back of your neck, pulling you closer into the kiss. You hummed in approval; then you felt something brush across your bottom lip and you parted your lips to suck in air, but in an instant you felt something enter, pushing past your teeth to tease your tongue.

You let out a small moan when you realized that _Sans had a tongue_ and more than that, _he knew how to use it_.

It was longer than yours, you were sure and nearly wrapped completely around yours while you explored the feeling of his tongue. It had the same thrum of magic that the rest of him had, but it was so much more intense, like touching a circuit directly and it set you on fire. Heat pooled between your legs and you had to pull back to breathe or you were sure you’d let Sans do _whatever_ he wanted with you right there right on the couch.

When you opened your eyes, you saw that Sans’s blue eye was glowing brightly, but it dimmed and his two white pinpricks reappeared. Sans was looking between your eyes, and almost looked apprehensive, but you smiled up at him.

“Any other tricks I should know about?” You bit your lip slowly, your eyes glancing down to his mouth before darting back up to his eyes.

You caught him staring at your teeth as they slowly dragged across your lip before they disappeared again. His eyes caught yours again and his blush was back while he chuckled.

“maybe,” He shrugged, sitting in front of you in a mirror of how you were sitting, his knee touching yours, “but i’m not _patella_ n you nothing.”

You pouted, but a smile broke through not long after, “I guess I’ll have to find out as we go along, huh?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	35. The Rabbit Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Sorry this chapter is coming out so late (early? *is dead tired*), my cousins dropped in for a visit and I spent a few hours catching up with them. Both live in different states from me and I haven't seen them for years, so I got excited and ended up not starting tonight's chapter until...about an hour ago haha.
> 
> Its not as long as most other chapters, but I hope you enjoy it!

You winced as you jabbed your finger with the needle again, sucking in a breath through your teeth as you dropped the fabric you’d been sewing.

“Dammit,” You muttered and leaned in your seat to pick up the would-be quilt that was slowly forming in your lap and jumped back into it, trying to slowly sew the quilt pieces together.

Even though Asgore had told you that you had done enough for the Resistance by letting them into your home—even if it had ended shockingly quick and with the death of Gerson to boot—you couldn’t stand to stay at home with Frisk while Sans was out helping Alphys to get the CORE back up to 100% efficiency. You weren’t entirely sure what the CORE was, but you gathered enough to know it was extremely important and that it had something to do with electricity down here in the Underground. So you found odd jobs to help with; figuring out food distribution here, a little rebuilding there.

Today, you were working with a monster named Tilda—who looked somewhat reptilian, with no arms and small wings growing out of his back. Even without arms and sewed quite deftly with his feet and ties, managing to sew circles around you even as you struggled to stop accidently poking yourself.

“At this rate, child, you’ll be more of a hindrance,” He chuckled good-naturedly, knotting off another set of pieces, and moving on to the next set.

“I’m sorry,” You managed not to stumble over your words, but you still looked down and tried to hide the blush heating your face.

“Oh no, no, no!” Tilda laughed, “I love the company; it’s been very lonely with my bondmate and my child…well, with them gone.”

You glanced at him, but he was staring intently at the fabric he was sewing…except his feet had stopped in their movements and he seemed so…lost for a little while. You knew his bondmate—from what you could tell, it was a term monsters used to indicate a spouse and you found it endearing—had been killed by a previous owner and their child had been separated from them.

You still were getting used to the fact that they had named their child ‘Monster Kid’. Tilda explained that for a while, it had been considered high class to follow after Asgore’s unimaginative way of naming things.

“At least we know where M.K. is,” You reached over and set your hand on the place where Tilda’s wing met his back, “And Asgore said that there was a Resistance growing there.”

A smile returned to Tilda’s face, making his features pull tight and reveal the needle-like teeth in his mouth, “Thank you, child; I keep telling myself that M.K. will come tripping through my front door soon, before I can even think to worry about it.”

“It’ll happen, Til,” You nodded before clearing your throat of the thick emotions you felt and holding out the needle and thread, “N-now…can you show me how to thread the needle again…?”

Tilda chuckled and nodded, “I will; and thank you, human.”

~*~

You collected Frisk from helping dig in the farming fields, and smiled when you saw the smile that stretched across their face. They had followed your lead, and every time you found a job to do, they would wander off and do the same, usually nearby, but sometimes they could be found in all parts of the underground, something you learned not to worry about as much.

Frisk had been eager to get home a little early today, because they had begged and pleaded for you to walk around Snowdin with them. They were so interested in showing you Papyrus’s old puzzles, and such. You had hesitated at first, but finally gave in to their repeated pleading gestures.

“Before we go off to explore, I need to go home and relax for a few minutes, ok?” You smiled at Frisk, watching as raised their hands to answer.

“Okay, okay! Hurry, though, I wanna show you something cool!” Frisk was nearly bouncing as you both walked back toward Snowdin.

‘Home’, it turned out, was right where Frisk and Sans wanted it to be. By some trickery and outvoting, you’d been convinced to stay at San’s house, on the condition that he stop offering you his bed. You were perfectly happy on the couch, which was strangely soft and comfortable.

The humid air of Waterfall shifted and cooled as you continued to walk with Frisk, and before you knew it there were fat snowflakes starting to drift lazily from the ceiling though you could see no clouds or any indication of where they came from. The wind turned colder and you pulled your jacket from around your waist and slipped it on.

It was easy to see the house, even though it was still a little ways away. The Christmas lights shifted color and pattern easily and fairly quickly, like a beacon. You felt a shiver and glanced at Frisk; they refused to wear a jacket over their worn sweater—which was less a sweater and more like a thin cardigan at this point, with how old it was—and you could see them shiver every now and again. You started to turn up the steps to home, when you stopped.

Frisk had walked a little past the house and had stopped. They were looking into town, their body still and their gaze far away.

“…Frisk?” You turned your body and tried to follow their gaze, but it was impossible to know exactly what they were seeing, “Frisk, what’s wro-“

You cut yourself off when you thought you saw movement. Yellow flashed in your eye and you felt your voice die in your throat, even as you wanted to form _some_ kind of cohesive thing to say.

Frisk seemed to see it too and before you could stop them, they were tearing off down the road.

“Frisk! _Frisk!_ ” You didn’t think twice about tearing off down the road after your charge.

Their body swayed a little as they went around obstacles. You tried to keep some semblance of calm, but panic was starting to swell in your stomach, making you feel sick. Every once in a while, you’d catch a peek at what Frisk was following, but it you still weren’t sure what you were seeing.

Did they make monsters that small? You passed over a bridge, which wobbled enough to send you to your knees, clinging to the rope of the bridge as you tried to ride out the waves of fear. The ground looked very, _very_ far below.

Frisk pulled ahead and you lost sight of them three times as you followed them through the snowy forest, but they refused to slow down or to even acknowledge your existence. Suddenly you tripped and felt snow shove up your nose from the force of your fall. You coughed and sneezed, but by the time you looked up—eyes still watering—you couldn’t see Frisk at all.

What you did see, was a small wooden outpost, which seemed to be more of an abandoned guard post than anything. Next to the guard post, there was a lamp with a bent lampshade that looked…conveniently shaped.

Luckily for you, it wasn’t snowing too hard and you could still see Frisk’s hurried footsteps heading toward a small bridge and a long path…that ended in a thick looking door that was standing open.

You swallowed and reached into your pocket, pulling out the phone that Alphys had given to you saying it was connected to the Monster Cell Network—which you assumed was some kind of cell network down here for the Underground, much like the ‘Undernet’ that Undyne had mentioned before—and with it, you called Sans.

Four rings, and you heard his voicemail. Figures you need him to pick up at the one moment he wasn’t lazing about on his phone!

“you rang and nobody came; leave a message.”

You swallowed again, “Sans, I…I need your help! Frisk ran off when we got home, and they’ve headed through…a huge door, through the forest. I have to go after them, but I hope you get this in case something…”

You cut yourself off and shook your head, as if doing so would transfer that to Sans when he listened to this.

“I don’t know where this place is, but something…something seems to be wrong, I don’t like what I saw of the…thing, Frisk was chasing.”

You glanced at the open doorway and stood. You had to get moving or you’d lose Frisk.

“I have to go, but….come find us, yeah?”

You shoved the phone into your pocket and tried not to feel like a damsel in distress who had just called her knight in shining armor…or, you know, knight in shining hoodie. Same difference.

For now, you were on your own, and Frisk was just getting farther, and farther the longer you stood here. So you started to run again, carefully over the bridge and then with increasing speed.

~*~

You panted, trying to slow your breathing. The room you were in reminded you of a long hallway and you were currently leaning against a pillar that was at this end. You could see to the end, and sadly, there was nothing. Frisk was still somewhere ahead of you and they weren’t answering their phone, no matter how many times you rang for them.

There was a strange echoed sound, something that reminded you of talking and you pushed forward, Determined. You didn’t think you could keep running, but a quick jog wouldn’t be too much strain on you.

“Frisk? Frisk, where are you??”

No one responded to your call, but you still moved to the end of the hallway, glad to see that the spikes that were covering the bridge over the water—which you had no idea how deep it really was, anyway—seemed to be rusted and sunken, revealing the safe path with ease.

The voices were getting louder and you hurried to the next room, and then the next. A double set of stairs made you pause to admire their architecture as the stairs curved down either side of the hall you were in. You shook your head and continued on, for sure hearing voices through the room in front of you.

“Reset, Frisk!” A cutesy voice came from the door you were hesitating to walk through, “What do you mean you _can’t_ anymore?”

You swallowed and stepped through the archway, letting your eyes adjust to the relative darkness that seemed to gather here.

“I bet if you tried _reeeaaal_ hard, you could Reset,” The voice sounded strained, on the edge of snapping.

You saw Frisk kneeling on the floor in the middle of the room, hunched over what looked to be some type of flower, but you couldn’t exactly pin-point who it was that was talk-

The flower wiggled and you noticed that this flower, despite it being a common enough flower, had a face. A face that smiled a fake little smile and that seemed to bounce its body to a beat that you couldn’t hear.

“Frisk…?” You kept your eyes on the flower, who turned to watch you, a sneer on its face.

“Humans shouldn’t wander!” The flower was smiling as your soul popped out in front of you, but Frisk signed something you couldn’t see and the flower hesitated, “Shut up, _idiot_.”

You gasped when you saw a ring of small white pellets suddenly surround you and slowly start to close in. You weren’t positive, but the way that Frisk was glancing back at you, and the terrified look told you how screwed you were.

You glanced around at the ring and whimpered when they started to get uncomfortably close. 

You saw Frisk sign the word ‘stop’ over and over again. The flower started laughing. You tried to sink to your knees and see if the pellets would simply pass over your head. They didn’t; they followed your movement without slowing their attraction.

You shut your eyes and whimpered as you covered your face. If you were going to die, you sure as hell didn’t want to see it coming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	36. Et Verum Est Somnium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNINGS: **   
>  ** Blood and Violence **
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> Sooooo....more than a few of you are going to be disappointed, because Toriel doesn't show up in this chapter...cause, you know, she'd dead. A few of you seem to be hoping that I'm going to reveal she somehow survived and I wish I could tell you that this was the kind of story where every single person is going to get a happy ending, but...well...its not. It's really not. I won't say I'm sorry, because sometimes that's how the story goes, but I will say that I feel the same way you do, my lovelies.
> 
> Toriel is one of my favorite characters because of the depth that she possesses. She's a strong female role, and can play the motherly sweetheart just as easily as she can kick someone's ass, and that kind of character is sorely lacking in a lot of fiction today. On top of that, she's a woman who chose to leave her husband/bondmate because of her own strong moral objections, and no one shames her for it. Toriel is definitely someone I would call a role model in my own life, if only because she's such a strong person in the face of everything she's been through.
> 
> So...now that my rant is over....I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> I love you all!

“ _Reset_ , Frisk! Reset or I’ll tear her soul apart.”

The flower growled at Frisk, who had tears gathered in the corner of their eyes.

“I can’t! I can’t, the magic is gone!”

You felt your breathing quicken as the white pellets, which were obviously meant to harm you, get closer. They radiated with the same malice that the flower was showing and you kept trying to keep yourself away from them, but they were nearly touching your skin.

“What do you mean the magic is _gone_?? Just-“ The flower’s face distorted to a truly horrifying look and you jumped when it was turned on you.

“Then I’ll just kill her, you idiot!”

You gasped and leaned away, but pain shocked through your body when you leaned into a few of those pellets and you felt the burning sensation of the damage they caused. You didn’t know if you were bleeding, you didn’t even know if Frisk or the flower were still in the room. Everything was reduced to the feeling of the attack on you.

Then it happened again. And again. And again.

You screamed in pain, your eyes screwed shut, trying to block out the pain, to block out reality….You knew you couldn’t take much more, you already felt weak and everything around you was falling out of focus. You forced your body to move and you dove away from the rest of the pellets, and stumbled once before you managed to put some distance between you and the pellets.

It was then that you realized…the pellets really didn’t move that fast. You weren’t sure if they couldn’t, or if the flower was just messing with you, but now that they weren’t surrounding you, you found the fear that had gripped your insides slowly loosening.

Frisk got off the floor and ran to you, throwing their arms around your middle and moving with you as you made sure the pellets stayed away. Eventually, they drifted away, almost as if carried by a wind and you finally relaxed.

“Aunty, I’m sorry! I didn’t know Flowey was still here and I wanted to bring him home, but he won’t come with me-”

Your gaze snapped down to Frisk, “You wanted to bring that thing _home_??”

“Flowey’s not a bad person, they just don’t have a soul!” Frisk stepped back and signed quickly.

You were speechless for a moment before you looked at the yellow flower—apparently named ‘Flowey’—and watched him scowl at you from his place in the middle of a patch of grass.

“No, I’m putting my foot down here,” You shook your head, “First off, you can’t just move another monster into San’s house without asking, but I’m not letting him into the house, Frisk!”

Frisk planted their feet, “Flowey’s been here all by themselves!”

“Flowey just tried to _kill_ me, Frisk! If he comes home with you, I’d never be able to get to sleep,” You rubbed your face, but quickly glanced over to make sure Flowey wasn’t up to something. He just continued to stare at the two of you, almost disinterested.

“I can’t leave Flowey alone, they’re Chara’s best friend!”

When Frisk first signed the name, you didn’t understand; Frisk was using a slang that you didn’t recognize. As soon as Frisk saw the confusion on your face, they finger-spelled the name and your blood ran cold.

“Ch…Chara?” You swallowed and felt dizzy, even as Frisk nodded, “…No, we’re not having this conversation, Frisk…”

Even your determination wavered, but you reached out to grab Frisk’s hand and turned with the intent to leave this dark place. Frisk held firm and you had to remember that they were nearly 12, and almost as tall as you with their long legs and long arms. You swallowed and turned back to Frisk, almost giving in when you saw _that_ look on their face. They weren’t going to back down.

A glance at Flowey and the echo of that name and you shook your head, your frustration growing, “No, Frisk; I’m being serious. You obviously don’t respect me as any kind of authority figure, but _I don’t want that monster near me_. It’s wrong of you to try and force it.”

Frisk started to raise their fingers to argue, but you both jumped when a voice came out of the darkness.

“heyya, havin’ a party here in the ruins?”

Your body instantly relaxed, “Sans, thank god…”

You turned toward the voice and offered him a small smile as he stepped out of the archway that you had come through. His hands were shoved in his pockets, but he didn’t look relaxed at all; his eyes swept over Frisk and then over you. You were about to say something when he froze, the lights in his eyes dimming when his eyes landed on your soul, which was still floating in front of you.

Suddenly, Sans was in front of you, one hand touching your jaw, and the other holding your hand, “frisk, what happened to her hp??”

Frisk swallowed and looked at the ground, guiltily glancing back toward Flowey, who was looking away, a sneer still on his face.

Sans followed Frisk’s glance and grit his teeth together when he saw Flowey.

“ _you!_ ” His left eye started to glow blue, but you couldn’t see any other manifestation of his magic.

“Sans, Flowey can’t-” Frisk started to sign, but Sans looked down at Frisk.

“it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what happened here, frisk,” Sans trained his blue eye on Frisk and they froze, taking a step back, “that weed hurt your aunt, so why are you taking _his_ side? don’t you care about your aunt?”

“Sans!” You grabbed his arm, but he was still staring at Frisk.

Frisk looked like Sans had slapped them. Their eyes stayed on Sans before slowly moving over to you. You felt a little self-conscious at having both of them staring at you like that. That was the first time you realized that your shirt and jacket felt uncomfortably tight to your back, like they were sticking to you there.

You reached back to pull the fabric away from your skin, but when you pulled your hand back, you froze at the red smeared on your palm, making you feel faint.

Sans and Frisk both froze before Sans reached out for your shoulder and partially turning you as he moved to look at your back. Sans cursed and you could see Frisk’s eyes starting to well up with tears when they saw the red stain. The pain suddenly became a focal point in your mind as you felt your knees start to shake, even as Sans turned toward Flowey.

“oh you are in for a **b a d t i m e** -“ Sans took a step, but as soon as he hand left your shoulder, it was like an electric current left you and you sank to your knees.

Frisk kneeled in front of you, “Aunty, you’ll be ok, hold on.”

You shivered, your eyes landing on Flowey, who was glancing between you, Sans and Frisk, though his face looked…lost. Scared. He looked like a child, lost and afraid of being alone in the dark all over again. You swallowed hard as your vision blurred for a moment and Flowey’s face contorted again into some kind of anger and he ducked beneath the dirt, disappearing and letting your yellow soul sink back into your chest.

“c’mon, we have to get back to the house,” Sans kneels next to you, and reached up to take Frisk’s hand when they offered it. His other arm gingerly wrapped around your shoulder to hold you against him.

There was that sense of vertigo as you saw the floor melt into the carpeting of Sans’s house, but unlike before, you felt your stomach drop through the floor and you gagged, burying your face into Sans’s chest to try and keep yourself from throwing up.

“sorry, sorry,” His voice was lowered, “its always a harder trip when you take the trip while not moving…”

Frisk dropped their grip on Sans’s hand while the skeleton helped you move to the couch, where you hissed when Sans had you slip your jacket off your shoulders. Sans reached for the hem of your shirt and you tried not to feel too self-conscious even though he only lifted it as high as your shoulders.

The pellets, made of magic, had already disappeared, but Frisk swallowed when they saw three deep wounds—one near your shoulder, the second over your spine near the middle of your back, and the final one over your shoulder blade, deep enough that they thought they could see bone. The tears that they had been trying to hold back started to fall down their face.

Sans felt the lights in his eyes disappear as he studied the still-bleeding wounds, but he didn’t let himself stop.

“kiddo, go grab so rags and that brown bottle under the sink, yeah? A big bowl of water too, if you can,” Sans moved your jacket out of the way.

Frisk jumped when they were addressed, but nodded quickly and hurried to the kitchen.

You had an idea of what the ‘brown bottle’ was, but you just glanced back at Sans when you heard him pop open said bottle and soak one of the rags in it.

“This is gonna hurt, huh?” You tried to keep your tone light, but you almost leaned away from him when he prepared to start cleaning the wounds.

“yeah, sorry,” He glanced away, “i’m not the best at using healing magic, so i can’t take any chances with you humans and your weird bacteria.”

His tone matched yours, trying to keep it on the lighter side, but you hissed and leaned to bury your face into the back of the couch when the rag touched your skin. You couldn’t stop yourself from letting out a pained moan into the stuffing, glad that it was muffled, but you still heard Frisk when they let out a small hiccup.

You turned your head enough to see that they were standing off to one side, tears still falling down the side of their face and holding the hem of their sweater nervously as they watched Sans work on you.

“C-C’mere,” You lifted your arm and motioned Frisk over.

Frisk nearly launched themselves at you and buried their head in your side as you wrapped your arm around their shoulders, rubbing slowly. You tensed with each new wave of stinging pain from Sans cleaning your wounds, but you simply kept your face buried in the couch, trying to keep yourself from trembling.

“shhh, shh…i’m almost done,” Sans felt the warmth gather in his left hand, which was now glowing green. He pressed it to the wound near your shoulder and tried to ignore the sight of your wounds knitting back together. The pain faded into a soreness, but warmth took over your body from the places Sans was touching you and you sighed, shakily. You were just glad that it was almost over.

One by one, each wound closed, leaving an angry red patch of knit skin. Sans wasn’t sure if the scars would heal completely on their own, but he was at his limits of what he could do for you.

When the warmth was gone, you took a deep shaky breath and turned to glanced back at Sans while still holding Frisk.

“Thanks,” you said slowly, rubbing Frisk’s back as they trembled against your side.

Sans nodded, watching to make sure you were ok as he spoke, “i got your message; gotta say, you freaked me out, sweetheart…”

You swallowed and took a steadying breath before nodding, “I was pretty freaked out too.”

Frisk froze in your arms, but didn’t move to pull away, instead clutching you tighter. A sigh left you before you used your free hand to rub your face. You had no idea what to do or say when it came to Frisk; forbidding them from going to find Flowey nearly guaranteed that they’d go and do it anyway, and a part of you wondered if you said anything if they’d just ignore it anyway.

“Frisk…” You felt them tense, “Frisk, why don’t you go and play in Papyrus’s room for a while, yeah?”

You kept your tone light and Frisk jerked back to stare up at you in shock; they were about to sign something but you shook your head.

“Just…go and settle yourself, Frisk,” You said slowly, “That was a stressful situation, and I think we all need to…to calm down.”

You weren’t sure if that was true, but you definitely needed some time to figure out what to say to Frisk, and you didn’t want to say it while you were hyped up on pain and attention from Sans.

Frisk swallowed and stared up at you for a moment before nodded, moving to hug you again. They were happy that you hugged them back just as tightly as they hugged you; it was a comfort and made them think you weren’t as angry as Frisk worried you’d be.

They slid off the couch and headed for the stairs, climbing them while glancing back. Sans had taken the spot next to you on the couch and was touching your face. Frisk turned away and hurried into Papyrus’s room, shutting the door quietly before they put their back to the door and slid to the floor, letting more tears come to their eyes.

They just wanted everyone to have a happy ending. Flowey had been here in the Underground all by themselves and were so hurt that no one thought to come visit him…he didn’t know that the monsters had been enslaved, and when he found out, he kept demanding that Frisk reset…

But they couldn’t anymore. They lost the ability to reset as soon as the barrier fell and all of the monsters left the Underground. They didn’t know why, and they couldn’t lie to themselves about hoping that returning to the Underground would somehow restore the magic of the reset…but looking between Sans and you…would reseting ruin that?

Frisk knew that every reset came with small changes that they could never predict; sometimes, Toriel would insist on them leaving right away to avoid her own heartache, sometimes Papyrus’s puzzles would change slightly, and make it so Frisk didn’t know the solution right away. Sometimes, Chara would be harder to control and would get free, killing the whole of the Underground before Frisk could regain enough Determination to reset. Sometimes Asgore broke down before their fight even started and begged Frisk to just turn around and they could both pretend the child had never come to the palace.

Would another reset make it so that you weren’t as fond of Sans? Sans, who remembered all the resets the same way Frisk did, would still be attached to you, but you…you wouldn’t remember the skeleton. And you may not fall for him again.

Frisk hiccupped as tears began to flow down their face. They’d been so busy worrying about the monsters, and how screwed up everything had turned out because of what happened with the collars…they hadn’t even spared you a second thought. They just followed their determination through to what they wanted and hoped it would all turn out for the best.

That’s how it had worked in the Underground, so why was the Surface so much harder? Frisk thought back over the months that you had been their guardian again and buried their face in their sweater collar as they remembered every moment they had simply been more stubborn than you. Sans, Undyne and Alphys, Toriel, and all the little things that they knew had affected you. In fact, the only thing that had happened that Frisk didn’t have to out-determine you had been the Resistance coming and using the basement as a base, but Frisk wondered if you had simply done it because you knew that Frisk would have wanted you to and would have forced you into with their attitude and determination.

And now Flowey. Frisk hadn’t even stopped to think about what would happen when they caught of glimpse of Flowey in Snowdin, hiding in the bottom branches of the town’s Christmas tree. They had simply moved forward, wanting to reconnect with the flower who used to be Chara’s best friend and sibling.

You had been attacked, you’d been _hurt_ , and the first thing Frisk had thought to do was argue with you about whether or not Flowey should be allowed to stay at Sans’s house or not.

Frisk expected you to be angry, to yell and choose not to be their guardian anymore…but you asked kindly to go and relax in their room. That brought more tears and Frisk sniffled before crawling up into Papyrus’s bed and hugging the pillow there. They wish you had just yelled and gotten angry. Frisk knew how to handle others being angry. They knew how to handle monsters attacking them out of fear, they knew how to act and how to show mercy…

But Frisk didn’t know how to handle being wrong.

~*~

You rubbed your face, standing at the door to Papyrus’s room and still contemplating what exactly you wanted to say to Frisk. The fact was, no one had gotten hurt—well, except you, but you were completely healed now, so…--and that look that had been on Flowey’s face…it still bothered you. Something had happened and while both Frisk and Sans seemed hesitant to talk about exactly _what_ happened, the sound of Flowey demanding Frisk to ‘reset’ made you feel uneasy.

A sigh left your mouth before you raised a hand and knocked twice on the door before turning the handle and pushing the door open a crack so you could call through it.

“Frisk? I’m coming in, ok?”

You thought you heard something that sounded like a sob answer you, so you pushed the door open and shut it behind you, glancing around for a second before you saw the lump in Papyrus’s racecar bed that told you where Frisk was.

The bed was soft as you sat next to the trembling lump and you gently rested your hand on top of it before cooing, “Frisk, don’t cry…come on out, it’ll be ok.”

Another sob and a hiccup were your answer, so you rubbed comforting circles before you spoke again, “Frisk, I’m not angry, so come out so we can talk.”

You thought for sure that they wouldn’t take the bait and you’d be waiting for a little while when the lump shifted and the covers started to pull back.

There was a second when you opened your mouth to speak. Then you stopped. The face peaking over the edge of the blankets. It wasn’t Frisk.

Oh, it had their hair. And their haircut. But their eyes. It didn’t have their eyes; it was those deep pools of inky blackness that had already started to leak down the sides of their face in a mock of tears.

“ _Oh, Aunty, you wound me so,_ ” The voice wasn’t Frisk’s either and your head started to hurt as the same song started to play in your head.

**~One, Two, death’s coming for you~**

You tried you pull away, but something wet was holding your wrist. You glanced down and started to tremble when you saw that their hand was wrapped around your wrist, and the black ooze that was coming from their eyes was now staining your skin.

**~Three, Four, you’ll hit the floor~**

“ _I’m a little insulted, you said my name in the overworld_ ” The child sat up, the ooze dripping off of their face and tainting the blanket, which started to absorb the darkness, as if soaking up water, “ _Say my name!_ ”

**~Five, Six, drink a poison mix~**

You shook your head and tried to pull away, but all that did was make the kids hand slip down on your wrist, covering more of your arm. You made a noise in your throat as you realized every part of you the ooze was touching was starting to feel like it was burning.

“Noooo…” You moaned, standing up and trying to back away, but Chara—and this was for sure Chara—wouldn’t let you go, but instead used your yanking to help them sit up.

**~Seven, Eight, just accept your fate~**

“ _Say my name, or else,_ ” Chara giggled.

“No, I don’t want…please stop! Leave me alone!”

**~Nine, Ten, I’ll _kill_ you again~**

As soon as the tune faded into the silence, you heard a knock come from the closet and both you and Chara froze.

You turned your head, even as the closet door squeaked open slowly, to reveal a deep darkness; just staring into it, you knew it was alive. It breathed, silently and through you, like a fell wind stealing your breath. It pulsed and studied the two of you, and you swallowed when you realized the darkness had a skeletal face that faded in from the blackness.

_wake up._

“ _No!_ ”

The blackness started to move out of the closet, its shapeless body sliding through the doorway with ease. You managed to yank your arm from Chara’s grip and you stumbled back so that your back was to the wall.

“Do NoT bE aFrAiD, cHiLd; I aM a FrIeNd,” The blob spoke, its two colored eyes making you feel uncomfortable.

_come on, sweetheart; it’s just a nightmare._

You whimpered and tried to press back and away, but the wall was unyielding up against your back.

“Please…both of you…just…just leave me alone,” You tried to keep your voice steady, but tears had sprung up in your eyes, “I…I don’t know what you want, but leave me alone!”

Chara smirked smugly, but didn’t move toward you, “See? You never existed; other than Frisk, this human and I, no one even believes you were ever even a person!”

The words were dripping with such venom, even you flinched.

_sweetheart!_

You jumped and looked around, hearing Sans’s voice. You wanted to wake up, you knew this was a nightmare and that these two only lived in these dreams. They aren’t real! This isn’t real!

A sob escaped you and you sank to your knees, holding your head.

~*~

You started awake so violently, you choked on air.

Heaving coughs left you and you turned to press into something warm and hard. You jumped and went into another round of coughing when whatever you pressed into wrapped around you.

“sweetheart, it’s just me,” Sans sounded exhausted, but his voice was gentle and reassuring.

You pulled back when your breathing finally evened out, looking up at Sans as you both laid on the couch. You were pressed against the back and Sans took the outside, and Sans looked exhausted. The bags under his eyes were more prominent, but maybe that was because the only real light was a slat of light the fell across his face coming from a gap in the blinds from the window behind the couch.

“Sans…” You breathed, feeling a tremor go taking hold of your core, making your fingers and toes feel like they were vibrating, “I-I’m sorry, I just-“

You choked on your words and Sans pulled you tightly against his ribcage, but you found it wasn’t uncomfortable. The warmth and the thrum of his magic soothed your shaking body, and you could start to match Sans’s slow, deep breaths.

“don’t apologize,” Sans said quietly, “after all, ‘there isn’t anything wrong with having nightmares,’ or something, right?”

You hesitated and realized that you had said something similar to him before, hadn’t you? You nodded slowly, though you weren’t sure what exactly you were agreeing to. Chara’s face flashed through your head and you felt yourself tense before you leaned closer to Sans.

“wanna tell me about it?” He asked after a long pause in the dark.

You shook your head, “I just want it to go away; it’s not real-- _they’re_ not real…”

Sans paused, almost considering pushing to find out what you were talking about; but he settled into the cushions again, shifting so your head was resting more comfortably against his bones before he leaned forward and pressed his teeth to your forehead, closing his eyes.

Being surrounded by his magic was more than comforting, and when he pressed against your forehead, you let out a deep sigh.

He chuckled, “i knew you found me _dream_ y.”

You snorted into his chest and laughed quietly, “Definitely a _dream_ come true.”

Sans chuckled and the both of you settled for more sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	37. What A Lovely Shade Of Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I'm posting the next chapter even though I just posted a chapter 8 hours ago lol This is mostly because I was supposed to post the _last_ chapter last night, but hey, who's counting *sweats nervously* This chapters is definitely darker, but I decided against using warnings because nothing overtly triggering happens in it and I didn't want to spoil anything, soooooooooo....
> 
> I love the comment section guys! You all are so kind to each other and I love getting your comments so I can chat with you guys~<3
> 
> I LOVE YOU ALL

Everyone knew that when a monster died, their soul disappeared and their existence disappeared. Permanently, forever. No exceptions—except for maybe boss monsters, but who really knew what was up with them, right?

So when Gerson woke up in a poorly lit room with a collar around his neck, he cursed his luck and settled back in his chair. Even with the collar around his neck, whoever had stuck him in this room obviously didn’t trust the old monster—a smart choice, if Gerson had any comment to make—and had his arms restrained to the arm of the chair with thick metal bands that nearly cut into his skin.

He tried to look around, and even in his old age, the natural low-light vision that came to all monsters was a great help. The room was bare, with white tiles on the floor and ceiling, while the walls were painted a matching shade. There was a few cabinets and cupboards lining one wall, and there were a few strange scientific-type instruments out on the counter near a door, but there was nothing else. No _one_ else either.

Gerson had no way of telling how long he had been there, or how much longer he’d have to wait for someone to come and do whatever they intended to do with him, so he started to sink into his mind in the way he had trained himself when he was young and the human-monster war was still going strong.

Apparently, someone had trained the police—or whoever they were, they had only been wearing all black uniforms with body armor and a logo he hadn’t had the chance to catch—how to disable a monster without actually killing them. Gerson snorted to himself; taking prisoners, how appropriate considering that this really was turning into another war with the humans…

The light suddenly blinded him and he grunted while the door opened and closed.

“Well, well, you’re awake,” The voice didn’t sound familiar to Gerson, but he quickly tried to blink to adjust his eyes, “As old as you are, I had thought that my men disabling you would dust you on principle.”

“I on’y look old, sonny,” Gerson found himself snapping out sarcastically, “Dinosaurs was still dead when I was a young’n.”

The man laughed quietly and Gerson caught his first real look at the guy.

He had a square jaw, and too-white teeth; his hair was slicked back and shiny, but it was his green eyes that Gerson was stricken with. They were the eyes he thought he’d never see again. Eyes that belonged to a man who had killed before—had _dusted monsters_ before—and loved it.

“My name is Victor Masters,” The man said pleasantly, clasping his hands behind his back as he began a slow pacing in front of Gerson, “I understand it that you must be pretty important to that little ‘Resistance’ movement that has been a thorn in the government’s side for some time now.”

There was a pause, as if the man expected Gerson to clarify, but Gerson clenched his mouth closed, glaring up at Victor.

“You monsters, always so…disagreeable,” Victor sighed before glancing back toward the door, “Get in here.”

Gerson felt his soul drop into his stomach when he saw who walked through the door next.

Papyrus glanced around apprehensively. The small white room had been the only thing he’d seen in months and now that he was out of it, he’d been given clothes—just a white garment that tied in the back like a medical robe—and Victor had even been cordial as they had ridden in the car. This place though…

It set Papyrus’s teeth on edge and made him feel like something horrible was going to happen.

Gerson tried not to look surprised or disheartened to see Papyrus there, but something must have showed because Victor chuckled.

“Ah, so I was right in guessing that a few of you monsters in the Resistance would recognize him,” Victor casually put his hands in his pockets before chuckling, “By all means, please, catch up with each other, don’t mind me…”

Papyrus glanced at Victor but lowered his eyes to the floor and Gerson could tell this wasn’t a man to trust, if Papyrus didn’t even have in in him to extend that much.

“Holdin’ t’gether, Pap?” Gerson kept his eye on Victor, but addressed Papyrus casually.

“In one piece, at least,” Papyrus answered cautiously, refusing to move his eyes from the floor.

Gerson felt a swell of rage at how different Papyrus was acting. How… _broken_ he sounded.

“Hold strong,” Gerson said quietly before turning to glare at Victor, “Yer the same ‘Masters’ that invented these?”

He jerked his head downward toward the collar.

Victor chuckled, “It’s nice to see that my reputation precedes me; yes, I am.”

Gerson didn’t dignify that with a response and instead narrowed his eyes.

“I should commend you monsters,” Victor ignored Gerson’s non-response in favor of getting to business, “Finding a way to free yourselves from my collars and start a underground movement; its fascinating that even something inhuman would react so…so…what’s a good word…ah, with so much _humanity_.”

Victor chuckled as if he had made a joke, but didn’t stop talking, “I also suspect that my daughter may have made the mistake of taking up with you law-breakers. Papyrus doesn’t seem to know anything, but I bet you-”

Gerson gave a clipped answer, interrupting Victor, “If ya think that I’m th’ kind to reveal an’thing ta ya, yer crazier’n I thought.”

Victor twitched, but his polite smile returned albeit slowly, “…I am just worried about her well-being.”

Gerson wasn’t convinced and a glance at Papyrus—who twitched and tensed—confirmed what Gerson suspected.

“What’s her name?” Gerson asked quietly.

Victor hesitated, but then engaged, “Gabriella, but I do believe she would introduce herself as Gabbie.”

“Hmm…maybe I seen her,” Gerson shrugged, “Looks a little like ya? Shorter’n Paps?”

“Yes, yes,” Victor took a step forward, his eyes reflecting a craze that made Gerson a touch uncomfortable.

“Nah, never heard ‘f her,” Gerson shrugged again, not bothering to hide the smile that spread across his mouth when Victor’s polite facade broke.

Victor turned and kicked a trash bin, sending it flying toward the door and denting the small metal container. Papyrus dropped to the floor, wrapping his arms over his head and trembling with his eyes closed tightly.

Gerson chuckled, “A few ‘f us monsters have a neat trick, y’see; I can see ya stats, sonny, w’thout even havin’ ta call out ya soul. You ain’t a nice person, not even a little—ya LOVE’s too high.”

A growl came out of Victor’s throat, but Gerson didn’t even flinch. He wasn’t scared of tyrants, bullies or thugs. He had accepted death in that basement and as far as he was concerned, he was just living out a stay of execution.

Victor had his back turned and he took a deep breath before he straightened his back and then straightened his tie. He still had the upper hand, he told himself. He was still in charge.

“Well, I suppose I don’t have much of a choice, then do I?” Victor turned around and reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket, “Papyrus, stand up.”

Gerson watched with curious and jaded eyes, but he felt his breathing nearly come to a stop when he saw that Victor was holding a needle. The liquid inside looked gelled, thicker than water or blood and with a horrifying thought, Gerson realized what it was.

It was liquid Perseverance, the same color and shade as Victor’s soul, which Gerson could see floating translucently floating in the man’s chest.

Victor watched Papyrus stand, but he continued to speak to Gerson, “I take it you know what this is, old man; I feel some pride in having thought of this little idea, so I’ll tell you anyway.”

“Bring out your soul, Papyrus,” Victor smirked and walked around behind Papyrus as he waited for the white soul to move from the skeleton’s rib cage, “You see, I find you monsters fascinating. Your bodies are simply an extension of your souls, so your whole bodies are simply a physical manifestation of whatever magic and personality is contained in this little white heart…”

Gerson was horrified to see that Papyrus’s soul was cracked and oozing a grayish fluid, which slowly dripped onto the white tiled floor in front of the tall skeleton.

Victor reached out to let his hand hover just below Papyrus’s heart, but stopped short of touching it, “And those legends of monsters fusing with human souls? Creating veritable _gods_? That, that would be something to see; I’m not dumb enough to try, or even to experiment with something that I don’t know if I can control…but it did give me an idea.”

He took the cap off of the needle, the point of which was wider than usual, and his hand closed around Papyrus’s heart.

“Don’t stop me,” Victor said automatically as Papyrus’s arms started to rise, but the poor skeleton was trembling from the direct contact on his soul, “It occurred to me that if a human and monster soul could combine totally and fully…just what would happen if you inject just a _part_ of a human soul into a monster soul?”

As if to demonstrate, Victor sunk the needle into Papyrus’s soul, making his shriek in pain but he was unable to move because of his collar. The needle went deep and disappeared as soon as it sank into the surface. Victor made sure to try to get as close to the center as possible before he started to depress the gelled liquid into the center of Papyrus’s soul.

“Stoppit! Stoppit, ya hear??” Gerson tried to launch forward, even against his restraints.

When Victor let go of Papyrus’s soul, the skeleton dropped to the floor, curling around his soul, but it didn’t sink back into his rib cage. The center of it, deep inside, had started to change color, and the deep violet started to spread like ink in water, tendrils of sticky ooze tainting the pure color of Papyrus’s soul.

Gerson froze, staring down at Papyrus in horror before he weakly called, “F…fight ‘em! Don’t let this one beat ya, kid! Papyrus!”

Papyrus was lost to his pain and the feeling of something-- _someone_ \--invading everything that he was. The memories of his friends stayed the same, his love for pasta and for puzzles and for his brother…nothing changed. Except for the darkness that tainted each one:

Being trapped Underground hadn’t been the happy place that he’d tried to make it. The optimism and the energy were there to cover up the knowledge that he was born and would die having never seen the sun, or the moon, or the sky. He had always sort of known he could dream of a shiny red sports car, but that he’ll never actually have such a luxury. His dreams of the Surface would never come true.

His brother hid things from him. Sans always slept, but it wasn’t just because he was lazy. In fact, Papyrus knew he wasn’t. Sans had three jobs to help keep their family above debt, and he still assumed Papyrus was somehow not mature enough to help handle those responsibilities; he always said he was just lazy when Papyrus caught him sleeping anywhere and everywhere, and he never had any energy beyond what he could do in the moment and Papyrus had always just played along because arguing with Sans always felt like he was somehow betraying Sans’s hard work.

His ‘friends’ always assumed he was stupid, or somehow wouldn’t understand something because of his natural exuberance. Undyne never had any intention of promoting him to Royal Guard, and he’d heard as much from the woman herself on multiple occasions when she thought Papyrus was out of earshot or somehow couldn’t hear her booming voice. It didn’t matter that it was all he ever wanted, so he could finally help Sans, so he could finally stop feeling like a burden…and he played along, because arguing with Undyne felt like he was somehow betraying her sense of loyalty toward him, as she protected him from something that he didn’t need protection from.

Papyrus wasn’t as important as he always felt the need to claim. He was a small part of a big world that didn’t know or care about who he was. The thoughts he always had in secret, the fears and hopes that he kept from others…they all shifted and got more powerful, taking what he already knew to be true and making it more important, changing how he saw…. _everything_.

“Papyrus!” Gerson tried to jerk forward, but froze as Victor started to walk toward him.

“It’s still a sort of…shall we say…up in the air process,” Victor chuckled, as if he hadn’t just corrupted a soul from the inside out, “The last monster I tried this on had such a strong will, it tore her apart.”

Gerson felt a sliver of dread as Victor kept talking.

“What was her name…” He feigned ignorance, a peaceful smile on his face, “Tandy…Tolly…Tori…Ah! Toriel, that’s right…”

Gerson grit his teeth and glared up at the human, “Tryin’ ta get ma anger stirrin’? Keep on keepin’ on; yer trash, and yer daughter left cause o’ it.”  
  
Victor froze, his face contorting almost into a smile, but it came off as a grimace, “…You seem to be a stubborn type.” His voice was low and dangerous. “Let’s do another test run, shall we?” He stepped closer, the needle in his hand still dripping purple.

Gerson took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and thought of all of his friends and the family he had lost, making a wish to see them before he disappeared completely.

“Do yer worst.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	38. Deeper, Deeper, Ever Deeper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I hate Mondays :D I cut this chapter off at kind of a weird place, but if it went on any longer, I'm sure I would have waited to post this til tomorrow, so....here's this 8D
> 
> ALSO!!! ANOTHER FANART BY THE LOVELY [Gingler](http://gingler.tumblr.com/)~!
> 
>  
> 
> [Gaster now has a table~!(Hell yes its canon now :D)](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/post/146295134796/gingler-purpleundertalemom-hahaah-im-sorry-it)

Days in the Underground didn’t seem to matter as much. They melted together in a blur and in a blur, two weeks had passed from the time Flowey had injured you. You tried to ignore the scars on your back and considering that they were out of sight, they were usually out of mind.

Frisk had all but stopped talking to you and you would have thought they were mad at you, except that Asgore, Undyne and even Sans had told you that Frisk had come to them and cried for the guild they felt over how they had treated you over the past few months.

That was all well and good, but you wished they would do that with _you_ ; you loved Frisk and you wanted to make sure they were ok, but…

You walked through the hall that lead to the throne room, knowing you’d find Asgore there. Frisk had taken to staying with the former king, and while you were happy they were safe, you weren’t sure what else to do other than to come and take Frisk home so the both of you could actually talk.

You smiled. Less than 2 weeks and you had started to refer to Sans’s home as yours as well. Had you ever felt that way while sleeping on someone else’s couch?

Your thought stilled as you got closer to the archway that lead into the throne room, but you hesitated to go in when you heard Asgore’s deep rumble conversing with someone—two someones.

“Masters has started some strange experiments down at his research lab,” A male voice said quietly, “He won’t let anyone in on it, so intel is sketchy at best.”

“Is he still looking for Gabbie?” Asgore rumbled.

Gabbie? You leaned against the wall near the archway, so you couldn’t be seen. Who was looking for Gabbie? And what experiments could this ‘Masters’ character be doing that would concern Asgore?

“Yeah,” The second male voice piped up, “He’s obsessed; Jacobs and I have been working overtime for weeks and Masters won’t let up!”

“Zach,” The first voice said quietly.

“Sorry, Jacobs,” Zach answered.

“It’s cool, we just don’t have a lot of time,” Jacobs answered before adding, “Asgore, how are things here?”

“Barely getting back off the ground,” Asgore sighed, “We had to pick up and essentially start over twice in less than a month; we’re down on people and hope is hard to come by…”

“Hey, we have to stay determined,” Jacobs said quickly, “That’ll carry us far enough until hope comes back.”

You realized how it would look of someone walked up now and saw you eavesdropping on a private discussion between the king and his guests, so you took a couple of steps back and walked forward, talking normally as you passed the archway.

“Asgore, I was hoping—Oh, I’m sorry,” You stopped after you caught a glimpse of Asgore’s two guests, “I didn’t realize you’re busy…I can come back?”

Asgore was standing near the overgrown throne, and two humans were standing near him; one had a short military cut for his dark hair, with dark eyes that watched you with what looked like shock. The other had red—almost orange—hair, with bright green eyes. He was the shortest of the bunch and looked the least haggard. Both were wearing some kind of black uniform with matching body armor and a logo that looked familiar, but didn’t have the company name attached on the chest and shoulders.

“No, we were just-“

Asgore was interrupted by Zach’s long low whistle and Jacobs saying, “Holy hell…”

You froze and glanced between the two men before looking at Asgore. The former king looked just as surprised as yourself.

“What’s the matter?” Asgore asked.

“She…we just,” Zach glanced at Jacobs.

“She looks _eerily_ like Gabbie,” Jacobs chuckled nervously, “Don’t you think, Asgore?”

Asgore blinked slowly, turning to study you as Zach cut in, “Like, not really in the face, but…”

All three studied you for a few minutes and you tried not to blush at being the center of attention, but you understood what they meant. Everyone at one point or another had commented on the fact that you and Gabbie could have been sisters.

Jacobs was the one to refocus the three of them, “We should probably go. Our report is due in an hour.”

Yeah, right;…yeah,” Zach finally tore his eyes away from you, and you felt a little relief.

The way he’d been staring at you had made you more uncomfortable than when all three men had studied your features.

Jacobs and Zach departed soon after and Asgore finally turned to you.

“Now, what did you need, child?” Asgore rumbled softly.

“Ah…” You glanced at the archway that lead to the Surface, “Frisk; I was looking for Frisk.”

“Frisk chose to stay with Alphys tonight,” Asgore informed you, his slow steps bringing him closer until you had to bend your neck back to look up at him, “They seemed…distant and sad, while they were staying with me; is everything ok?”

You almost told him everything, but Sans had mentioned that not a lot of people knew about Flowey, so you paused to think about what to say.

“Frisk and I…well,” You glanced around at the wild golden flowers, trying to process your thoughts.

“I know it isn’t easy,” Asgore offered quietly, a sad smile on his face, “My two children…they were my pride and joy, but it always seemed that they didn’t need me as much as Toriel or each other. It can be a lonely feeling, when you are responsible for someone who is so independent.”

You paused and looked up at him again before nodding slowly, “Yeah…Frisk is so full of determination that I feel pretty redundant; the only thing they need me for is the fact that I’m a legal adult.”

You laughed, but it was sad and you looked away afterward.

“Frisk loves you,” Asgore said, one of his huge paws gently landing on the top of your head, “And you are doing a wonderful job; a child like Frisk shouldn’t be restrained too much, unless they begin to hurt others or themselves.”

His words seemed wise, but you wondered if he was talking about Frisk or his own children. From his tone, you could tell that they weren’t around anymore and it broke your heart to think that he was the parent of two deceased children. He wasn’t wrong, either.

Frisk was independent and they had freed an entire civilization all by their own determination in the short time they had been Underground; on top of that, they handled things with such bravery while you often hesitated, worried about the outcome.

You sighed, but nodded, “Thanks, Asgore.”

“Of course, child,” He rumbled, “I’m sure Alphys would be happy for your company if you head toward her lab.”

You nodded and thanked him again before you started back the way you came.

Asgore turned and began to tend to those strange flowers again, and you hesitated as soon as you left the archway. You glanced to the left and saw that stairwell again, feeling a shiver in your core as you saw the darkness that overtook the flight of stairs.

There was something about that darkness that just invited your curiosity like an old friend invites company. It called to you, telling you something was down those dark steps and if you just let yourself, you could find out just _what_ waited for you down there.

You shook your head and forced yourself to turn right, heading back the way you came, down the passage and through the judgement hall. Your heart was beating in your throat, and you felt like you couldn’t catch your breath. Just what was this feeling? You had never been to the Underground, you’d never even had an inkling such a place existed so why…

Why did that place, that staircase, just demand your attention?

~*~

Alphys’s lab sat near the entrance to Hotland and was fairly easy to reach even coming from the throne room. You hadn’t been there yet, but it was mostly because you knew Inker spent a lot of time there now.

A sigh left you, but you buckled down and rang the buzzer at the front door. Inker wasn’t horrible to be around, per say, but you couldn’t get over the feeling that she had an extreme dislike for you, maybe even hate. Still, you felt bad for not seeing Alphys and Undyne except on the rare occasions the two of them were in New Home, or in Waterfall while you walked home.

There was a small crash, which made you jump, before you heard Undyne’s booming voice.

“COMING!”

Less than a second after screaming, the door slid open to reveal the taller fish woman, “Whadya wa-“

She paused before a wide grin appeared, “Hey, nerd! Long time no see!”

You offered her a smile, “Hey, Undyne; I’m looking for-“

“Who’s that?” Inker’s voice echoed from somewhere behind Undyne.”

“For…” you tried to continue, but Undyne turned to answer, screaming your name.

“Bring her back!” Inker demanded.

“A-are y-you sure-“

“Shut it, I’m sure!”

Undyne rolled her eyes, growling a little at Inker’s blunt treatment of Alphys, but she grabbed your wrist anyway.

“Wait, Undyne,” You tried to pull back, but Undyne was not a woman to even notice someone trying to go against her, “Undyne, I’m looking for Frisk!”

“They’re visiting some monsters up in New Home, they’ll be back later,” Undyne brushed off what you said easily and pulled you into the lab and toward an escalator toward the back of the main floor.

“Where are we even-“

“Up to Alphys and Inker, of course!” Undyne didn’t let go of your wrist until you both stepped off the escalator—which turned into a moving sidewalk?—and then she put an arm around your shoulders to guide you toward where Inker and Alphys were huddled over a workbench.

Inker was standing on the table, her hand digging into one of the three fanny packs that she kept around her waist and pulling out something edible and fruity smelling and shoving it into her mouth as she watched you and Undyne approached, her eyes looking about a foot above your head as she stared at you in particular.

“H-hi,” Alphys smiled at you, a blush on her cheeks.

“Hey, Alphys,” You smiled back before you glanced at Inker, “Did you guys need me for something?”

“W-well,” Alphys glanced up at Undyne before looking at inker.

“I wanted to try something,” Inker said before pulling out a monster collar.

Just the sight of it made Alphys and Undyne shift uncomfortably in the corner of your eye, but you tried to focus on what Inker was saying.

“It’s fully activated, but it’s not connected to anyone’s magic,” Inker explained, setting the collar onto the table before adjusting her glasses and waving for Undyne and Alphys to put on their own, similar looking sets, “Pick it up, human.”

You blinked slowly, “What, just, pick it up?”

Inker rolled her eyes, “It isn’t hard, just pick it up already.”

Resisting the urge to roll your eyes, you reached forward and picked up the collar, tentatively. A part of you expected it to shock you, or to do _something_ , but it just rested heavily in your hands.

“Ok, so…” You glanced between the three monsters.

“Did you see that?” Inker ignored you, turning toward Alphys.

Alphys’s mouth was hanging open, her eyes glued to the collar in your hand, “B-b-but h-how is th-that p-possible?”

Undyne broke in, “What did I just see, punks?”

Inker took the collar from you and opened one of the electrical compartments, “See, look, all the magic has disappeared from inside.”

“I-if th-that’s t-true, th-then…” Alphys glanced at you before blushing because the two of them had been talking like you weren’t there, “S-sorry; y-you see…y-you d-disabled the magic i-inside.”

You paused, blinking slowly before giving your head a little shake, “I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand what you mean.”

Undyne, though, seemed to get it.

“Holy SHIT! Seriously?!”

“Yes, seriously, silly girl,” Inker chuckled good-naturedly and it struck you that you hadn’t ever seen Inker smile before. It was toothy, but fit her face well enough that you found yourself smiling even though you had no idea what had even happened.

“So, anyone want to explain to the confused human what just happened?”

The three of them paused to glance at you before Alphys blushed harder and Undyne chuckled, rubbing her head.

“Magic Nullification,” Inker said easily, shoving the collar back into one of the fanny packs, “It’s something that humans used to have in spades, it came as naturally as breathing to them.”

You blinked, “Wait, I can do what?”

“Y-you c-can e-essentially ‘turn off’ m-magic a-abilities around y-you,” Alphys explained.

“Humans can’t hardly do it anymore,” Inker continued, “They still have a little magic left in their souls, but nowhere near enough to trigger MN powers; even Frisk, with all their determination, can’t figure out how to turn off magic.”

You gaped at the three of them, looking at them like they were crazy.

“You can’t be serious,” You shook your head, “I’m not special, nor do I have ‘magic powers’-“

Inker interrupted, “It’s technically not a magical ability; it’s considered a non-magic, something that comes from your human soul, but it’s definitely not magic.”

A horrifying thought came over you, “Wait, I won’t accidently…k-kill someone, will I?”

The three of them paused, Undyne and Alphys taking in a breath at the thought, but Inker just watched you with a thoughtful gaze.

Any human she had come to know, all had acted the same when it came to having power over others. They flaunted it, joked about it, exploited it, but your first concern…you cared about others.

Inker felt her heart soften towards you as she answered, “No, even the weakest monsters have a solid enough body that MN wouldn’t affect them in such a way. No, what you can do is disrupt flowing magic such as attacks.”

Sans had taken time to explain how monsters can draw out a soul to attack—which you had a sort of inkling about thanks to what happened the first time you met Undyne and your run in with Flowey—and it made you want to ask if Frisk had to deal with battles, but a larger part of you realized you really didn’t want to know.

The idea of Frisk down here, all by themselves dealing with monsters attacking them with magic…you took a deep breath and swallowed, focusing on Inker again.

“So, that’s what happens with Sans’s collar,” You said quietly, “Back in the tunnel.”

Inker nodded.

“Would…he would have died if I wouldn’t have had this ability, right?”

Undyne immediately caught on to your line of thinking, “Hey, punk! Don’t you start that! If you hadn’t of tried, the collar would have zapped him for sure!”

You hesitated, but nodded, “Y-yeah, your right…”

Alphys blushed before her tail curled around her feet, a silly smile on her face.

“Y-you l-love S-Sans, h-huh?”

A breath was sucked in over your teeth and you felt your face light on fire. Undyne snorted and then guffawed, and Inker shook her head and turned away, but more at Undyne’s loud voice.

“D-don’t g-go spread that around!” You hissed, glancing around almost paranoid, “Sans doesn’t know!”

Alphys giggled, “Wh-why not?”

Undyne answered almost immediately, “Cause she’s a WUSS! That’s why!”

You swallowed and rolled your eyes, “Yeah, sure, let’s go with that.”

“U-Undyne, d-don’t b-be m-mean,” Alphys smiled up at the fish woman before looking at you, “Wh-why h-havne’t you t-told him?”

Alphys and Undyne were probably the closest thing you had to gal-pals that you had in a long while and you loved them for it, but you still felt your blush spread.

“W-well, there hasn’t exactly been an opportunity, has there?” You looked at the floor, “I mean, what with the Resistance, Frisk, Papyrus still being missing…I figure, he doesn’t need another thing to worry about, right?”

Undyne and Alphys blinked before glancing at each other.

“Punk,” Undyne threw her arm around your shoulders, “You two _live_ together and he likes you; you’re probably in his mind 24/7 anyway!”

You smiled up at her shyly, “And you know this cause that’s how you are with Alphys?”

Alphys covered her eyes and blushed harder as Undyne smiled and answered, “Hell yeah!”

The small dinosaur actually squealed when Undyne said that and you laughed quietly.

Inker nearly rolled her eyes; these young people…Still, a smile found its way on her face. Spending time with them had been good for her, at least. Inker smiled more and found a lot of the bitterness she’s built around her Soul to protect it was slowly being broken down.

“Human,” Inker waddled closer toward you, toward the edge.

You turned to her politely, showing you were listening.

“That babybones hasn’t changed since the day he was born,” Inker said slowly; Alphys and Undyne perked up with interest and you remembered that Undyne said no one really knew much about Sans—it seemed Inker did, “He doesn’t handle emotions well, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel them.”

You blinked and nodded slowly, “Yeah, okay.”

“I’m serious,” Inker said, “That child hides because of fear.”

“What could _Sans_ be afraid of?” Undyne scoffed, “He’s the laziest monster I’ve ever seen!”

You didn’t share the exact same thought, but you couldn’t stop yourself from wondering why you’d never seen what Inker obviously thought she knew. Sans was lazy, sure, and he hid a lot of his thoughts behind those puns, but…afraid?

Inker rolled her eyes before she seemed to give up on what she was trying to tell you and you almost reached out to stop her. What was Sans scared of? What did you need to know? You hesitated and before you could convince yourself to ask, you heard the front door slide open.

“geez, kiddo; run any faster and you’ll have _hot_ feet,” Sans’s voice echoed up from the first floor, “nah, don’t mind me; the heat just goes right _through me_.”

You found yourself snorting and the thoughts that Inker planted were glossed over. Undyne called over the handrail of the moving sidewalk and jumped over it in her excitement and you shook your head and followed her by way of the down escalator that the moving sidewalk was moving toward.

The sight of Undyne giving Frisk a noogie made you smile, but it faltered as soon as Frisk saw you and ducked away, hurrying out the back door.

“Frisk!” You called and sighed when the door closed.

Undyne blinked before looking after Frisk, “What was that all about, loser?”

You pressed your lips together as you stared after Frisk, but shook your head, “I honestly couldn’t tell you, because Frisk hasn’t talked to me for almost two weeks now.”

“Two _weeks_??” Undyne’s head turned so fast to look at you, that you thought she’d have some kind of injury, “I told them to talk to you forever ago!”

You shrugged, “I can’t force them, I think that would just hurt our relationship; I can only wait for them to finally come to me.”

Sans watched you as the hurt passed through your eyes when Frisk ran away, and the solemn acceptance as you and Undyne spoke. You were probably right, he knew, but it was hard for him not to want to find the kid and try to put some sense in their head. He shoved his hands into his pockets; it was easy to forget Frisk was 12, and with everything they had accomplished he wasn’t sure exactly how to treat them when their childish side reared its head.

You seemed resigned and all he could do was follow your lead.

“c’mon, sweetheart,” Sans moved to your side and bumped his shoulder against you gently, “whaddya say we head home?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” You turned to him, offering him a small smile, though it didn’t quite reach your eyes.

You bid your goodbyes to Undyne, Alphys and Inker and left by way of the front door. Despite Sans being able to teleport, he tended to be unpredictable in when he chose to use it. Today seemed to be a walking day as he lead you from Hotland into Waterfall.

“frisk’ll come around,” Sans suddenly said as the temperature dipped into something a little more comfortable, but the humidity spiked, “the kid can be a little _short_ on common sense.”

You shook your head, a smile forming on your lips, “Y’know, they’re almost taller than you, right?”

Sans shrugged, his grin wide, “I may not be tall, but I’m not _short_ of _humerus_ jokes.”

A snort left you and the heavy feeling that was in your chest from what happened with Frisk started to fade away.

“God, those are so bad, Sans,” You giggled, bumping him as you walked side by side.

“ _god those are so bad…_ ”

You heard an echo flower catch your words and replay them back; they had fascinated you when you first arrived and more than once you found yourself playing with them on your walk to or from New Home. Their blue glow in this dark place eased you and made you feel like the Underground really was a place of magic and ethereal fantasy.

“they’re good enough to make you laugh,” He winked at you, his grin still wide on his mouth.

“Yes, yes they are,” You nodded, “They certainly tickle my _funny bone_.”

Sans always paused when you returned puns at him, and he always laughed; a deep belly laugh that made you blush with accomplishment. It was like he didn’t expect you to return the joke, even though you routinely traded knock knock jokes with him to pass the time when you both were home.

He wiped his eye socket as he stopped laughing, and turned his head to watch you as Waterfall slowly started to turn into Snowdin; a shiver passed over you and his eyes were drawn to the small raised goosebumps that were now littering your arms. The sight of it made him curious and made him want to touch you, hold you against himself and feel what they felt like under the tips of his phalanges.

There was a moment he thought his magic might flare out of control from the warmth that radiated from his soul at the idea of you underneath him and he sucked in a quiet breath.

He lagged behind a little as the both of you entered the front door. He hesitated only a moment after the front door closed behind the two of you—any longer and you’d be out of reach—before he reached out and pulled you back, turning you both around so that your back was pressed against the front door and he was pressed against you.

You had flashes of a similar situations where your back was against the fridge in your house, but this felt so much different. Your body lit on fire and your breathing increased. His eyes burned into yours and you felt a blush light your face while his hands found your waist. The magic of his bones had returned after the tunnel fiasco and it gave a slight cushion to his hard bones, making your body tingle and hyper aware of every spot his body was touching yours.

Your hands landed on his shoulders, where you gripped his hoodie tightly, “Sans….?”

His name was breathy and left your lips in a quiet moan, sending a chill up his spine. His face was close enough to yours to feel your breath over his skull and teeth, making him press closer. He didn’t answer your question and instead pressed close enough for his teeth to your lips. You pressed back, the fire in your stomach lowering and making you tremble. You sighed into the kiss and gripped his hoodie tighter, pulling him closer even as you used him to keep you standing.

It was over too quickly, Sans pulling back to grin up at you, “careful, or you’ll _fall_ for me, sweetheart.”

_Too late._

You didn’t say it, but swallowed and tried to steady yourself against the door before Sans would back away. Your body was on fire and you wondered if he was teasing, pushing you that far and then leaving you hanging, but the thought disappeared when you remembered that continuing would mean that you’d…that the both of you would…

A blush overtook you and you swallowed again.

It wasn’t that you didn’t want to have sex, but you’d never done it before; never even tried, because of Jeremy being asexual and repulsed by the very idea of sex. You didn’t complain—because you loved Jeremy and you never wanted to make him uncomfortable in that way—but now that you were with Sans…

A though managed to help cool your face a little.

What were the two of you? Dating, sure, but were you boyfriend, girlfriend? Or was this more casual? You weren’t sure and as you watched Sans head for the couch with a grin on his face, you were almost a little scared to ask. Honestly, you didn’t want to drag it out, so you headed for the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	39. Outside of Reality (AKA READ THE NOTES!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Ok, so I didn't post a chapter last night--as I'm sure most of you noticed (AND I'M SO SORRY TODAY'S CHAPTER IS SO SHORT T.T)--because I was finalizing some details for a new idea I had! I WANT TWO OF YOU TO MAKE ORIGINAL CHARACTERS TO INSERT INTO THIS STORY :D
> 
> If you want to be considered, the link to the rules are in the end notes, so I hope you all will join in!

Sans settled in the couch the way he always did: he plopped into it with what sounded like an audible sigh from the couch. He settled with his back to the arm of the couch and his hands shoved into the pockets of his hoodie. His left leg was bent and leaning against the back of the couch, while the other hung off the couch and his slippered foot rested on the floor.

His eyes followed you as you moved closer and you tried not to feel uncomfortable or self-conscious, but you did. The jeans you were wearing felt too tight, the shirt too big, you wondered if he could notice the slight muffin top you had over the top of your jeans, or the fact that your thighs touch. A thought hit you that you were just being silly.

After all he was a monster.

Did monsters even find humans attractive? You felt a blush appear even as you got closer to the couch. What if he didn’t really find you attractive? You tried to reason that Sans wasn’t the kind to toy around with people’s heads…I mean, why else would he admit how interested he was in you? You froze, standing next to the couch.

What if he had Stockholm syndrome??

Something on your face must have tipped off to Sans that your thoughts were spiraling a little far. Instead of saying something, Sans simply reached up and gently laced his fingers with yours, tugging you and easing you into settling on top of him.

“I-I’m not too heavy, right?” You asked quietly, your eyes glancing down to his chest while a blush overtook your face.

“you’re perfect, sweetheart,” Sans answered easily, his eyes closing when he pulled you up a little and settled his arms around your waist. His grin was easy and his hold was secure, “what’s on your mind?”

You blushed harder and hid your face in his chest, making a small embarrassed groan and you glanced up at him.

“Do you consider me your girlfriend?” That was the safe route to go.

Sans paused, opening one eyes to stare at you for a moment before he chuckled, “is that the human term for it?”

You blinked, a nervous laugh coming out before shrugging, “I guess? Dating usually entails being boyfriend and girlfriend, unless the couple in question are particular, I guess.”

You offered a half shrug while Sans contemplated what you said.

“monsters don’t really have a name for this sort of process,” He finally said, “we’re very in touch with our souls so we can see how compatible we are pretty quickly and after that it’s just a matter of if you want to become bondmates.”

You blushed again and wondered if you’d start to feel dizzy from the blood rushing to your face so often, “How quickly can it happen?”

Sans shrugged, “compatibility doesn’t mean love; so it can happy quick, or it can take years.”

A thoughtful hum left you as you considered this, “So, since there isn’t a term…wanna be my _bone_ friend?”

There was that rigid reaction, that pause before he started to laugh. You wondered at it, but decided against asking just now.

“yeah, i’ll be your _bone_ friend, and you can be my _ghoul_ friend,” He snickered, one hand coming up to play with your hair, his eyes watching how it moved between his phalanges.

You felt yet another blush and a smile appear on your face, a giddy feeling taking over your stomach. 

Sans was officially your boyfriend.

~*~

Energy was something that was strange for Gaster. He had no real way to replenish it—via food or rest, or any other way that was usual—but he never seemed to have a problem in losing too much energy as he continued his existence through the void. With one singular exception.

Gazing into reality, or trying to influence it in any way, exhausted him. He’d only done it a few times since he became aware of monsters moving up onto the Surface, and each time left him feeling drained and sick.

Influencing that human’s dreams took an even heavier toll on him, but he could not allow the King’s child to possess another human the way they had possessed Frisk. So many monsters had died, and even in the void, Gaster had been able to feel the disturbance of the cries of thousands of monsters calling for help into the nothingness and receiving no answer as they died. Gaster shivered and put that time away from his mind.

He ran his hands along the mahogany table, his eyes studying, before he looked at the mounds of dirt that were nearby.

The void had accepted these items with relative ease, something that reminded Gaster of the barrier that had trapped all of the monsters in the Underground for so long. Sans’s magic had managed to breach the void when he teleported the dirt directly on top of Gaster; Gaster had a few ideas as to what happened and why, but the truth was that with Sans’s unique abilities in handling space and time, it was inevitable that he would breach the void, even accidently. The table though…

His eyes glanced around, as if looking for something—or someone. There hadn’t been any magic surrounding the table when it appeared.

“A nexus,” He mumbled, “A place where it all intersects…”

For the first time in years, his mind was a blaze of theories and thoughts, his intellect rousing from its dormancy of nothingness and blooming into a fragile instance of intellect that promised everything. He would find a way to leave this place. He would return to his sons.

“I must be prepared, then,” He said, letting his voice echo out into the void, “Perhaps some of you could help me?”

He let his soul call out into the void…

Could anyone answer?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The link to the rules are [HERE!!](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/post/146386955431/rules-for-my-awesome-idea)
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	40. An Interlude, Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> The entries are officially CLOSED! Thank you all for volunteering; all told, there are almost fifty of you! It will take me some time to narrow the numbers and pick the two who will help me (one from tumblr and one from the comments section of here!) so I should be contacting the two probably sometime tomorrow--hopefully in time to write my chapter!
> 
> Just so you all know, I’m using a program called ‘Wheel Decide’ to choose the winner, so it’s completely random and whoever wins, wins. Good luck!

From what Mettaton understood, Victor Masters was a prodigy; a mind that Alphys and even Mettaton would have loved to pick, if circumstances would have been different. So when Victor walked up to Mettaton’s ‘agent’ and requested to purchase Mettaton, there was a mixed feeling that he could only call ambiguity.

On one hand, Victor didn’t seem the type to want Mettaton for the high life—show business would likely be over for the metal man—but on the other hand, Masters was likely the type who could figure out how to make his ‘EX’ form more energy efficient.

Alphys had done what she could, the doll, but being stretched between Undyne, duties as the Royal Scientist and moving to the Surface had strained her. So, while Mettaton was now able to stay in his ‘EX’ form for a day, two if he conserved energy, he still couldn’t _live_ in his ‘EX’ form, not without regular charges and heavy energy consumption through the nearest outlet. Even Mettaton’s owner—who Mettaton was ordered to call his agent—complained about it constantly.

Mettaton wasn’t privy to what deal went down between Victor and his agent in that small office, but when his now ex-owner came out he looked 30 years older and glad to be away from Victor, who quickly informed Mettaton of the change of ownership.

Now, Mettaton was being lead through a _very_ nice penthouse. Everything was immaculately clean, almost absurdly so. Even with his zoom vision, Mettaton couldn’t see a speck of dust anywhere. The carpets were shades of dark red, accented in golds. Everything was lavish and as far as Mettaton could tell, expensive.

Victor seemed to fit in with the setting, with his hair slicked back and his suit pressed to perfection—but other than telling Mettaton about the switch of ownership, Victor hadn’t addressed him. The metal man was simply expected to follow.

That’s when Mettaton noticed a door—about halfway down the hall they were walking down—that was obtrusively different than the décor of the rest of the house. It was made of metal and silver in color, with a large handle and a place for a padlock on the outside. Mettaton began to feel nervous.

“Get in,” Victor opened the door and held it open with his foot while his hands were busy preparing a cigar.

The collar around Mettaton’s neck—flush to his metal skin and bedazzled, because heinous or not Mettaton had _standards_ for whatever was placed on his person—glowed and his body took him into the pitch black room.

His eyes adjusted immediately when the lights overhead turned on, but Mettaton still gasped when he saw who was already waiting in the room.

“Papy-dear!” Mettaton exclaimed quietly, “Oh and here I thought I’d never see you again!”

Mettaton took a step toward Papyrus, but Victor’s voice came clearly, “Don’t move.”

Mettaton froze, his eyes darting toward Victor but quickly settled on Papyrus again.

“Oh, Papy,” Mettaton kept talking, since it was all he could do, “You just dropped off the face of the earth and I’ve been so worried-“

His voice died in his throat when he finally got a good look at Papyrus.

Papyrus didn’t _look_ wrong. In fact, he almost looked well-groomed; he was dressed in dress pants, tailored to his slim waist, and a button up shirt--white in color--with sleeves pushed up to his elbows. Was it just their time apart, or did Papyrus’s bones gleam whiter? Even taking all that in, Mettaton could still sense it; could still _feel_ it.

Something was horribly wrong with Papyrus.

His body was rigid, and his eyes—eyes that had never shown the same white pinpricks of light that Sans had—looked lifeless. His soul, which had always shown brightly, even unseen and invisible, was dull. If Mettaton didn’t know any better, he would have guessed Papyrus dead.

“P…Papyrus, darling,” Mettaton’s voice sounded and felt weak, “What…What’s happened to you?”

Victor was the one to answer.

“Are you able to see his soul?”

Mettaton jumped a little, not expecting Victor to be just over his right shoulder.

“I…oh, no, darling,” Mettaton quickly corrected, “It’s a gift that a few have, but I was not blessed with such a talent.”

He hated how weak his voice sounded, but another glance at Papyrus and a tremor passed through Mettaton’s body.

“Hmmm,” Victor made the noise while he drew in smoke from his cigar, holding it in for a moment before letting it drift out of his nose, “That’s fine…”

Victor moved around Mettaton and moved up to Papyrus, who was staring at the floor like nothing was happening around him at all. It was eerie to see, as if Papyrus was about to fall down, or if someone had simply flipped a switch inside of him that made him stop caring about anything happening around him.

There was a pause, long enough for Victor to turn around and take another long drag from his cigar as he studied Mettaton. The way he did it sent a chill up Mettaton’s back. He wasn’t looking at the robot with approval, or with irritation, or even with judgement.

He was staring at Mettaton as if Mettaton wasn’t a person at all.

“Papyrus,” Victor finally said, “Present your soul.”

Mettaton took in a quick gasp through his nose, his jaw clenching at the flippant order, “Now see here! Souls are private and personal, and I don’t app-“

Another gasp came out of Mettaton’s mouth, interrupting what he was going to say.

Papyrus’s soul was a deep muted purple, toxic and swirling with white mist. It glowed with a black light, making Papyrus’s button up shirt seem fluorescent and hurting Mettaton’s eyes. His knees started to shake and it was one of the few times that he wished Alphys wouldn’t have built in tear ducts into this body, because they started to spring up into his eyes and threatened to fall down his face.

“P-Papy! Y…You’re beautiful soul, what…” Mettaton wanted to step forward, wanted to badly to take hold of the monster in front of him and try to push away all the hurt and all the horrible energy that was poisoning his soul. They weren’t bondmates by any means, but Papyrus’s loud confidence and quiet fears had been something Mettaton envied and grown to love and want to protect in their time in the Underground.

Now…Now Papyrus was in the worst way and he couldn’t do anything about it.

Victor spoke after leaving Mettaton to a moment of his own despair, “Don’t like it? That’s fine, its certainly an interesting reaction. His body is under my complete control, but his mind…he just won’t let go of something he thinks is important; fascinating; especially when you consider I’ve spent the better part of a year breaking this fuck-stick down, ordering him to dust monsters and hurt humans…”

A chuckle left Victor and Mettaton snapped, “You _monster_!”

Victor froze, his eyes meeting Mettaton’s and instantly he knew he’d made a mistake.

“No, actually,” Victor narrowed his eyes, “ _You two_ are the monsters in this room…Papyrus, rough up this go-go dancer around a bit…”

Papyrus moved for the first time since Mettaton and Victor entered the room. His gaze remained dead, his soul still glowing with that black aura, but he moved. Mettaton didn’t see the first attack, because it came from below.

A bone shot up from the floor, grazing his chest and cheek, but Mettaton couldn’t move to dodge and could only grunt in pain as the next bone came up behind him, effectively keeping his body from moving as more joined in. Bones crossed his body, grazing and causing small amounts of damage that stung more than they hurt, but Mettaton tried to keep all sounds locked away in his throat. The bones disappeared at a nod from Victor, but the damage remained.

“You are quite the name around the country,” Victor was back to his original demeanor—aloof, but polite—and acted as if Mettaton hadn’t just been punished, “It’s as if no one seems to mind that you are one of _them_.”

Victor looked at Papyrus, not quite with disgust, but certainly with annoyance.

“You’re popular with so many, and it hit me that when I go to market my new ‘wonder drug’,” Victor smiled, the corners drawing almost too far up on his face, “I would need a face that everyone loved in order to advertise it.”

A pit of anxiety opened up in Mettaton’s stomach, “What…what wonder drug?”

A hand was waved in Papyrus’s direction, “Why, the drug that will make _every_ monster subservient with one, little, injection. No one need know that it’s _my_ perseverance that will be in this drug, or that I’m the one who they’ll be serving…but that is the price of business, I do believe.”

Mettaton’s head whirled as the computer part of him calculated and theorized before he realized just what this man was saying.

“You…you injected Papy with a part of your _soul?_ ” Mettaton looked horrified, “What you’ll be doing is making thousands of monsters sick! Don’t you see what’s happening to Papyrus?”

“At least he survived,” Victor shrugged serenely.

Mettaton’s soul dropped, “You’ve…you’ve dusted monsters this way?”

“Don’t worry; I need you alive.” Victor smiled.

The idea that this…creature, would think that Mettaton was worried about himself showed what sort of person he was. Victor Masters was the sort to save his own skin before others, to selfishly act in his own best interest because he could, and to take advantage at every turn…An uncomfortable thought struck a little to close to home that Mettaton once acted very similarly.

“Don’t do this,” Mettaton glanced at Papyrus, before glaring hard at Victor, “You can’t turn back from damaging your soul to that extent!”

“I’ve done no damage,” Victor chuckled, “My perseverance is so strong, taking any part away is healed instantly…I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

Mettaton swallowed; it occurred to him to ask why Victor was bothering to tell him any of this, to ask what was the point, but one look at Papyrus made it clear.

There was no point.

Victor Masters was interested in his own goals and threw his hand in every direction, already knowing that it didn’t matter what he did or saw or told in these dark corners where he played god. He could watch the hope and resolve die in Mettaton’s eyes and it was for this that he lived. More than controlling another person’s actions, but controlling their _mind_ by manipulating their thoughts and emotions…to watch the light go out was the closest he could come to nirvana.

“You,” Victor took a long drag of his cigar, “You are going to help me; if you don’t, Papyrus dies. You’re going to sell my product using that pretty face and sultry voice; if you don’t, Papyrus dies. You’re going to travel the country—and beyond—and make consumers eat this up and bite at the bit…and if you don’t, I’ll order Papyrus to find everyone you hold dear and rip their entrails out through their assholes, and _then_ Papyrus will die. I hope this makes it clear.”

Mettaton froze, listening to what Victor said with a rising horror.

“Just to be sure,” Victor started for the door before sending an order to Papyrus, “Beat this tin can to under 10% of his HP…then heal him to max, and repeat. ‘Mettaton’…you will not defend yourself.”

Mettaton’s collar glowed and Mettaton turned to look at Papyrus as the metal door closed with a final THNK. Papyrus materialized a long bone between his two hands and took a step forward. Mettaton took a step back to match, his eyes widening and a hand came up to his mouth.

“P-Papyrus! Papy, please…”

Papyrus didn’t even flinch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	41. The Crossroads

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> The first appearance of the two new Original Characters is here!! To avoid spoilers, all the credits are in the notes at the end, but please take a look and maybe leave some thanks in the comments~
> 
> Next chapter is a partial continuation of this chapter, but the plot with reader is going to be back!

“It should be a crime to bother someone while they’re eating breakfast,” Gingler muttered, rubbing her shoulder from the soreness of landing on it.

The void stretched out before her, hurting her eyes as her brain tried to comprehend exactly what she was seeing, which amounted to…absolutely nothing.

Gingler ran her fingers through her brown hair and pulled it back to hold it in a ponytail at the base of her skull with her hands as she tried to remember just what had happened to bring her here. Had someone attacked her? No, but today hadn’t started all that typically for her either.

It started with that nightmare.

_”A nexus,” A man’s voice echoed into the darkness, “A place where it all intersects…”_

A man…Gingler remembered that much. A man, but he hadn’t looked so human. An alien, maybe? His too white-skin, and those cracks…was he made of bone?

Gingler groaned as a headache started to form behind her eyes. Something about him, about his words, had called to her and stirred up something deep inside of her body…something that sparked and tried to escape, something…

_”Can you help me?”_

A growl escaped her throat before she started to turn in each direction, trying to find _anything_ other than the emptiness that surrounded her.

“All I wanted was to sit down and eat my cereal, and I could have had a great.fucking.day,” Gingler ground out, picking a random direction and started moving in that direction, “But noooo…a portal through Satan’s anus had to open up beneath my feet and boom! Here I am!”

Despite her angry words, and the irritation that coursed through her limbs, that same feeling in her chest—like a pocket of air that she couldn't exhale no matter how hard she tried—kept pulling and tugging at her, as if it had its own plans that were different from the rest of her. And despite her natural rebellion, she still found herself following the tugging.

There was some reward in it: not long after she started walking, she finally saw something.

Gingler’s feet sped up, and she only slowed down again when she recognized what she was running toward. A pile of dirt. Blinking, she slowed to a stop about 10 feet from the pile, staring at the dirt before looking around at the void. There was nothing else, as far as she could tell. So where did this dirt come from?

Walking around it, she paused again when she saw two figures made out of some dirt, but she couldn’t make out details or anything of who they were supposed to be, except that one was monstrously tall—at least seven and half feet—and the other was significantly shorter.

“Ok, so…what now?” Gingler sighed, feeling her shoulders sag. She hadn’t even been able to get dressed before this happened, so here she was in cotton pants and an oversized t-shirt, trying to figure out a mystery that had displaced her from her home and-

The thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

“I truly did not think someone would answer my call.”

Gingler let out a short scream and turned quickly to face the dirt pile—that was where the voice had come from. She dropped into a defensive stance, ready to fight or run should the need call for it, but…there was no one?

She swallowed thickly, summoning her courage before calling out, “Who’s there! Show yourself!”

There was a beat of silence—one where she felt very foolish, like yelling in an abandoned house, when she knew no one would answer—but then she froze when she saw _something_ begin to move around the dirt pile.

Its face was bone-white, with empty black eyes that had two different colored lights—the left being blue, the right, orange—shining in them. A crack in his face went from his right eye up to the top of his face-- _skull??_ and another connected the outer corner of his left eye with his mouth, which was open in a grin.

His body moved like liquid, oozing and moving over the side of the dirt pile while his eyes would not leave Gingler’s face.

Gingler couldn’t stop herself; she screamed.

The goop-monster shrunk away, his grin falling to an even line and Gingler leapt between the two dirt figures, keeping distance as she pointed.

“What…who… _What’s going on?_ ” Her voice echoed into the void around them.

“Please, be calm,” he said, watching her from around the side of the pile, but not moving closer, “You are disorientated, but you are safe.”

“Safe??” She snapped, taking another step back, but her back met the edge of something and she sucked in a short breath before turning to look and see…a wooden table…?

“Just what in the fresh hell is going on?” Gingler turned back to watch the person—creature? Alien?—as it moved a little closer, but didn’t leave the dirt pile.

“You were called here,” He said, “By me, I would assume.”

A beat of silence passed between them before Gingler said, “Who are you?”

He looked surprised before stuttering, “Oh, I haven’t given you my name, I can’t believe I’ve been here so long as to lose my manners, I’m terribly sorry…My name is W.D. Gaster.”

Gingler blinked slowly and felt her guard start to drop as the person actually fretted over the situation. It was strange to see, but after hearing his voice, she could definitely see and hear that this was a man, probably older than her and…apparently lonely. She glanced around into the void again and wondered if he lived here, and for how long.

“Gaster,” She repeated his name and let her hands drop slowly to her sides, but she didn’t take her eyes off of him, “Just how did you call me here? And why?”

He paused, staring at her before moving behind the dirt pile and peeking out from the opposite side before he finally answered, “I have a problem with my timeline and I had hoped calling to other timelines would help…”

“Timelines…” Gingler watched Gaster without moving her head, and saw the way his body slid and molded to the surface of the dirt pile. It really was like his body was made of water, or ink, and it was contained by a thin plastic. She saw his hands, which were definitely those of a skeleton, and swallowed when she saw the perfect circle cut into the back of his hand through to his palm, “What do you mean by timelines?”

Gaster chuckled, finally moving to settle on the ground, his body folding in on itself until he seemed to be sitting on the floor in a shapeless mass, “Through the realm of space and time, all possibilities exist; perhaps you would understand it if I said the world ‘dimensions’ instead?”

Yeah, Gingler understood dimensions, “So what is this place, then?”

“A crossroads of sorts.”

~*~

Lyris breathed deeply the air of Mt. Ebott. Despite her life having been so… _routine_ down in the Underground, here on the Surface…life was a paradise now.

There were still problems, of course; humans were still protesting allowing monsters to be considered citizens, and despite being on the Surface for over a year, the human government was still giving Asgore the run-around, but they had been permitted to populate the land around the mountain. Even the monsters who chose to remain underground to ease the stress of building a full city on the surface were still able to come to the Surface whenever they wanted and remind themselves that finally, _finally_ they were free.

Her gray-blue hair swayed in the wind as she sat easily in the grass, her single eye watching the nearby city as the light reflected off of the windows of the tallest buildings. Honestly, she had less of a hard time, because other than the two small gray horns poking out of her jaw-length hair, and the single eye that was settled over her button nose, she looked very human.

A sigh left her as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms tightly around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees. Despite everything, maybe in spite of everything, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, something was terribly wrong. Like she was supposed to be somewhere and wasn’t.

Her eye traced the blades of grass that surrounded her shoes as she let her mind wander.

Lyris had never felt she belonged, even when she was settled nicely in her community. No one made her feel this way, per say, it was just a feeling in her soul that she couldn’t settle. She shouldn’t get too comfortable because something was coming for her. A change of setting, a change of pace.

Not that she really believed it. Her life was a set in stone sort of thing; her parents were store owners in Hotland and expected her to marry someone who wanted to help her take over the shop when the time came for her parents to retire. After that…well…it would be work, a monster child, who would be expected to take over the store when she was ready to retire and so on until she finally fell down and turned to dust.

A queasy feeling settled in her stomach and she closed her eye tightly. Again, she felt that displacement; knowing that this wasn’t her life, that she shouldn’t get too comfortable…With her eye closed, it was easier to pinpoint the feeling, easier to let it wash over herself. Inside of it, she thought she could hear a voice, calling to her…

_”Can you help me?”_

When she opened her eye, a gasp left her and she hurried to her feet. The void surrounded her and nothing was in her sight. Her head started to hurt from the non-sight of it all and she closed her eye and gave her head a little shake. When she opened her eye again, a small whimper left her mouth.

There was nothing. Nothing to see, nothing to hear, nothing to touch. She felt her weight on something, but she almost tripped because she couldn’t see _what_ she was standing on. Having one eye already hurt her depth perception something fierce but now, she felt her knees tremble at the idea of walking.

Where was she? And why?

Voices. Lyris realized she could hear voices.

Despite not wanting to fall—because if she fell in this place, who’s to say she would land on anything? Maybe she’d continue to fall and fall for the rest of her natural life and beyond—she took her first shaky step toward the voices.

“What do you mean a crossroads? You need to start making sense,” A woman sounded annoyed.

“I admit, I do not fully understand it myself,” A man responded to her, and his voice sounded familiar…Lyris pushed forward until she saw a dirt pile appear in her line of sight with something black sitting next to it.

“You don’t—then why did you call me here??” The woman’s voice was raising in anger, “So, what, we’re stuck here? _Where even is ‘here’?_ ”

“We’re in the void,” The man responded calmly.

Lyris finally was able to place the voice.

“Dr. Gaster?”

The black blob turned at her voice and Lyris could see that he at least _looked_ like Dr. Gaster, except the Gaster she knew didn’t have those two deep cracks in his skull. And he wasn’t so…goopy.

“Ah, another has answered.”

“Answered…? You mean you were the one calling my soul?” Lyris blinked as she walked closer, but froze when the woman came into view.

The woman had dark brown hair and golden eyes, which were now trained on Lyris with narrowed distrust, “Are you two in cahoots? Just send me back, I ain’t buying what you’re trying to sell!”

Lyris blinked slowly before asking, “What would I be selling? I was just sitting in the sun, enjoying my day off, and when I opened my eyes, I was here.”

Gaster moved back up the side of his dirt pile, but seemed to settle comfortably there, “Two souls answered my call out into the void; fascinating.”

“Stop being so cryptic,” Gingler snapped, crossing her arms, “And couldn’t you have ‘called’ after I had at least gotten ready? I’m still in my bed clothes and all.”

Lyris crossed her arms in front of her almost self-consciously; she was wearing a flowered sundress that left her arms and legs exposed, but Gingler didn’t even seem to notice.

Gaster didn’t answer Gingler, in favor of turning to Lyris, “You seem to know me, young one…”

“Well, yeah,” Lyris shrugged, “You and your two sons used to live next door to me and my parents in Hotland; then you had an accident at the lab and retired from being the Royal Scientist and moved to Snowdin. I used to bring you baked goods from my mother.”

Gaster chuckled, “Fascinating…to think there are other versions of myself in these other timelines and dimensions…”

Lyris blinked, “What…?”

“Apparently, we’re at some kind of crossroads between dimensions, girly,” Gingler sighed, hopping up to sit on the table, “Name’s Gingler, by the way, since we’re stuck here.”

“Ah, Lyris is my name,” Lyris answered automatically before she paused, “What do you mean stuck here?”

Gaster shook his head, “Not stuck; just waiting.”

“For what?” Both woman asked, glancing at each other.

“You were both brought here for a reason,” Gaster said easily, “I am sure it is to help my timeline; there are terrible things at work there, and so many are suffering.”

Lyris felt her heart melt a little at the idea of monsters suffering and asked, “What’s happening?”

“In my timeline,” Gaster said, “Monsters were able to reach the Surface…but all that was waiting for them was slavery and mistreatment. So many have turned to dust, and any humans who try to help are vilified.”

Lyris gasped, her hands coming up to her mouth.

Gingler froze, her eyes training on Gaster and Lyris, “Hold on, what do you mean monsters? Who’s being put into slavery?”

Lyris glanced at Gaster, but Gaster settled deeper into his pile of dirt. Then he started to explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lyris belongs to [friendly-neighborhood-keri](http://friendly-neighborhood-keri.tumblr.com/)!  
> Gingler belongs to [gingler](http://gingler.tumblr.com/)!  
> Give them some love, please :3
> 
> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	42. The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> I'm not a fan of the last part of this chapter, but its late and I'm exhausted haha...
> 
> [british-hero](http://british-hero.tumblr.com/) wrote a companion piece to this fic! Its called "[A side tale](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7313167)" and I love it, so go give it a read! :3

Gigler felt all the strength leave her as she stared at Gaster after he finished explaining the situation.

“Are you _fucking_ kidding me?” Her voice was quiet, but she spat the curse out and her voice began to raise, “Who, just _who_ would do that? That’s it, I’m in, let’s get these assholes, let’s start a fucking revolution!”

Lyris pressed her lips together, a deep nauseating feeling sitting in her stomach. All those dusted monsters…and Papyrus! The Papyrus from her timeline was such a kind soul, always striving toward the best and he always had a kind word to spare for anyone, no matter who they were.

“We have to save Papyrus,” Lyris nodded, “And all the monsters!”

Gaster nodded, a smile appearing on his face again, “Then it is perhaps luck that Gingler is human; as a monster, I have yet to find a way out of this eternal place.”

Both woman froze and looked between each other and then Gaster.

“You mean you called us here…not knowing if we could get _out_?” Gingler covered her face with a groan, “I thought you were some kind of scientist! Good thinking, inviting the outside help into the prison.”

Lyris couldn’t stop the smile that appeared at Gingler’s exasperation, “Well, Gaster is correct; you are human, so that could make all the difference.”

“Why?” Gingler eyed the cycloptic monster patiently.

“Human souls are exponentially more powerful than monster souls,” Gaster explained, “In terms of numbers, it would take most every monster in existence working together to match the strength of a human soul; at least, in terms of trying to overcome it.”

Gingler raised an eyebrow, “Ok, I was following up until the end part.”

“Humans naturally have an ability—that has largely been lost—to neutralize magic,” Gaster’s body changed shapes as he spoke, as if he were fiddling, “In terms of magical output, monsters are about equal with a human. The difference lies is a particular trait that humans have in spades.”

Lyris blinked slowly, glancing between Gingler and Gaster curiously. She’d always been told that monsters could never match a human, and that even boss monsters had to be careful, but now that she was logically thinking about it…wouldn’t that mean a monster would have no chance of killing a human? And yet, Asgore was credited with killing six, and had collected them before everything that had happened with Frisk, the ambassador.

“Humans have conviction,” Gaster said without being prompted, “Whatever trait they are gifted with, their conviction will always outweigh that of a monster’s every single time.”

“And that can mean the difference of life and death…” Gingler’s eyes glazed over for a moment before nodding in understanding, “Ok, I think I got it; so what do I have to do, then?”

“You have to want to leave here,” Gaster answered, “And bring us to my timeline; the void is a very strange place in that it seems to bend to the will of certain situations, and I have a hypothesis that a human would be able to bend the void to their own will.”

“Any proof?” Gingler sighed, pushing off the table, but waving Gaster when he tried to expand, “No, no, I’d rather just, you know…try.”

Lyris moved closer to the dirt pile, and Gaster, “I believe in you, Gingler!”

Gingler offered her a small smile before she turned to stare at the void, almost feeling overwhelmed at the idea that it really did seem to stretch on toward eternity.

“I dunno,” Gingler said slowly, “You two talk about my soul like it’s a tangible thing, but facing all this _emptiness_ …”

“Your soul _is_ tangible,” Lyris blinked again, “Do you not have monsters in your timeline to show you?”

“Monsters are a figment of people’s imaginations, or are aliens, where I come from,” Gingler answered easily, her voice flat, “Seeing both of you, I was convinced that you two were some kind of alien, until you explained everything…so…”

“It would be best for Lyris to show you,” Gaster said easily, “I have been here in the void so long, I may overdo it.”

That statement made Gingler uncomfortable, but she took a breath and refused to give in to her own fear, “Alright, Lyris…whatever you need to do, do it.”

Lyris swallowed, but nodded, “Normally it only happens in a battle, but…I know another way.”

The smaller woman walked toward Gingler, who watched her carefully—more out of habit, than anything, but Gingler had learned the long and hard way that trust should never be given freely—but Lyris smiled gently before stopping outside of arm’s length from Gingler. Lyris’s arm reached up, toward the middle of Gingler’s chest and Gingler was about to ask what the cyclops thought she was doing when her words choked inside of her throat.

A heaviness had started in her chest, almost as if long cold fingers had wrapped around something delicate inside of her, and Gingler choked out a gasp when she felt the first gentle tug. The next tug made her step back into the table, displacing it before a bright orange light started up between her and Lyris.

“What the f-“

Gingler froze when she saw the new object that was now floating in front of her chest. It was the same shape as the hearts that children drew, but it looked like it was made of glass, with a bright orange light radiating out from inside of it. Her mouth felt dry as she saw it, and when she straightened up, it moved with her.

“Wh…what?” Gingler hated that her knees felt weak, but all she could focus on was the heart floating in front of her.

“That’s your soul, Gingler,” Lyris said quietly, almost reverently.

“The color tells what trait you have the strongest affinity for,” Gaster explained, his own eyes drawn to the orange light, “Orange stands for courage; yours is quite bright, and that indicates the strength of your soul.”

Gingler swallowed, then took a steadying breath before nodding, “Ok, I’ve seen weirder shit, this should be fine, its fine!” Another steadying breath and she nodded, “Alright, I’m fine.”

Did she imagine that her soul got a little brighter?

Lyris smiled and nodded, “All monster souls are white in color, but we still can have an affinity to a color through our magic; mind is patience, which is light blue.”

Gaster nodded slowly, as if he expected that, but spoke quickly, “Try now; time does not work the same here in the void as it does for the rest of the timelines.”

“No pressure,” Gingler muttered before focusing on the orange soul in front of her—on _her_ soul, holy fuck—and she realized that even with it floating in front of her, she could feel it as strongly as if had never left her chest. There was something about this that brought Gingler some comfort and she gave herself another assuring nod before closing her eyes and trying to figure just what she would have to do to get the three of them into Gaster’s timeline…

It was all magic, right? Gingler had no idea what to do with magic. Give her a wrench and a broken ship and she could figure out and piece it back together, but magic? Were there rules? Could she just say ‘wish I may, wish I might’ and boom it would happen? Gingler swallowed hard and found her focus drifting the more she tried to focus.

An annoyed groan left her throat and she crossed her arms tightly around her, wondering just what sort of faces Lyris and Gaster were making now that it had been a few minutes; they must think she’s an idiot, or that they had made a mistake trusting her-

Lyris’s hand gently found Gingler’s, and the brunette jumped a little her eyes snapping open, expecting to see something akin to disappointment on Lyris’s face.

Except, there wasn’t. Lyris was smiling gently up at the taller woman, holding her hand just as gently.

“I believe in you, Gingler,” Lyris said easily, “So does Gaster.”

Gaster hadn’t moved closer, but he was nodding, “Magic is all about intention, Gingler; hold on to the conviction of your intentions and even fate will bend, or so the old stories told.”

Gingler nodded, feeling confidence filling up her core once more.

“I want to get us into Gaster’s timeline,” Gingler said quietly, “I want to help save the entire monster race. I want to get us to Gaster’s timeline…”

She said it quietly a few more times, her eyes closing and holding Lyris’s hand tightly as she focused on Gaster’s timeline. On the hurt, and the death. On the hopelessness and the obvious malice it took to do something like enslaving an entire race of people. Gingler focused on the fact that she, and Lyris had been called because obviously they could do _something_ and she just had to _do it_ -

Time froze, and even through her closed eyes, Gingler could see the bright white light that suddenly flashed. Her lungs felt squeezed, Lyris’s grip disappeared from her hand and time began to move again.

Gingler started to cough, and hunched over from the strain, barely keeping herself from emptying her stomach before her consciousness disappeared.

~*~

You shrugged the larger backpack onto your back, waving off Undyne’s help, “I’m fine, it’s just your every day trip to the supermarket for the entirety of the Resistance, no big deal.”

Undyne snorted and shook her head, “I’m not worried about you, punk; that’s my favorite backpack!”

You laughed with her before nodding, “Alright, alright, I got it; I’ll make sure it comes back in one piece.”

“You better,” Undyne’s voice quieted a little before glancing over at Sans, who hadn’t said or done anything since Asgore had asked you to join the four other humans who were heading into the city.

Sans glanced at the other four and then at you, “you’re probably expecting this, but i don’t like this.”

A laugh left you, “You know, that sounds like some cliché foreshadowing in one of my books, right?”

Sans’s grin widened a little, but you could still see the worry in his eyes.

“I promise, I’ll be careful, Sans,” You added quietly, “I’ll come running straight back to Mt. Ebott, and safely home.”

Your hand came up to trace his cheekbone, and Sans leaned into it, closing one eye before staring up at you. That look told you he still wasn’t convinced, so you leaned down and pressed your lips to his teeth in a short, sweet kiss before you continued.

“I promise I’ll be back, Sans,” You kissed his forehead, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you, and you can be sure I’ll be back to say it to your face.”

“something to tell me, huh?” Sans tilted his head curiously, “i hope you don’t _secret_ not telling me now.”

You blinked before it hit you he had replaced the word ‘regret’ and you shook your head, laughing quietly, “Ok, even you have to admit that one was bad…”

“nah, i’m a comedic genius,” Sans shrugged nonchalantly.

“We’re ready!” Devon called toward you and you waved.

“Don’t worry, Sans,” You kissed him again before you offering him a smile and hurrying after the other four humans.

“can’t help but worry, sweetheart,” Sans sighed quietly after you turned the corner to head outside.

Undyne clapped his back with her hand, “I gotcha, bone-boy, but she’s resourceful.”

Sans didn’t answer and turned with the others to head back into the Underground.

He tried to put it out of his mind; worrying wasn’t going to bring you back any faster, after all. It would just drag out the time, making each second feel like it would last for minutes. Despite trying to force his mind onto other things, he couldn’t even focus when he tried to work on the CORE.

Alphys and Undyne tried to distract him, but Sans found himself glancing at the door, hoping you’d walk through it soon, looking for him. It was strange to know you weren’t currently in the Underground, despite knowing the Underground was no longer sealed. During a moment when both Alphys and Undyne were fangirling over some anime, Sans slipped out the door and started walking back toward New Home, maybe hoping to find a place he’d be able to wait for you.

The judgement hall seemed the most comfortable place, despite the memories that lived in those golden halls. He was surprised to find Gabbie milling around the far end, as if contemplating going toward Asgore’s throne room.

“heya,” Sans waited until he was closer before speaking.

Gabbie jumped and turned quickly, leaning against one side of the doorway, her eyes wide and her lips pressed together. Despite everyone saying how similar you and Gabbie looked, Sans could barely see it. Sure, both of you had the same hair, and similar body shapes, but there wasn’t really a similarity in the face.

“S-Sans,” Gabbie searched Sans’s face for a few moments and Sans was sure he saw guilt pass across her features before she crossed her arms almost defensively in front of her, “Um…have you…uh…”

Her eyes darted from side to side before she finally said your name and Sans perked up.

“what about her, buddy?”

“Have you seen her? I…I wanted to talk to her,” Gabbie’s voice sounded quiet.

“you’ll have to wait,” Sans shoved his hands into his pockets, “she left with the others to go get food for the resistance.”

Gabbie froze, and a look of horror crossed her face before she turned and started to walk toward Asgore’s throne room.

Sans hesitated, but his worry immediately drew him to follow her, “wait, what’s up?”

She didn’t answer, and in fact didn’t talk until she walked into the throne room where Asgore was watering his flowers.

“Asgore!” Gabbie sounded breathless.

Asgore turned, glancing between Gabbie and Sans, but Sans shrugged before he mentioned that Gabbie was worried about you.

“I’m not just worried about her,” Gabbie snapped before turning to Asgore, “Did you really send her out? While my father has his entire security force out looking for me?”

Asgore paused before he seemed to realize the situation, “They…would they really make that mistake?”

Sans started to catch on slowly, “wait, who’s your father?”

Gabbie pressed her lips together before sighing and crossing her arms, “Victor Masters…he’s the one who created the collars.”

Ice slipped into Sans’s bones, the pinprick in his eyes disappearing.

“We will recall all of them,” Asgore started to say, before Devon suddenly stumbled into the throne room, three other exhausted looking humans following behind.

Sans felt his stomach disappear.

“We have a problem,” Devon panted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	43. And In The Darkness, I Cry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNING: **   
>  ** Violence, minor character death **
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> I finally drew myself a persona guys! [CLICK HERE TO SEE IT](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/post/146578498641/so-i-finally-drew-my-own-tumblrsona-just-call-me)
> 
> So, I wanted to address something here: I understand that people may not understand why I brought in two new original characters--that belong to fans of mine--or that some people might be upset that they didn't get picked, but let me say this: While I will accept any criticism about my own writing, _I will not tolerate anyone being mean to the creators of Lyris and Gingler or anyone calling them 'mary-sue'_
> 
> In the first place, Mary-sue is a useless term to describe underdeveloped characters and it can be hurtful and is completely unhelpful. It was created in a time (waaay back in fanfic history, trust me, I was there) to describe characters created by 12 and 13 year olds who were just starting up in the writing game, and didn't have the best know-how when coming up with characters. It wasn't anything except derogatory and used in comments that were meant to tear down, and hurt. _Lyris and Gingler are anything but underdeveloped!_
> 
> While talking to their respective creators, I saw the passion and I saw the careful creation and that is what I wanted to portray in those characters as I introduced them. If they come across 'Mary-sue' then that is a failure on my part to convey their character to you. However, seeing as they've only been in the story for a chapter and a half, I feel the commenter who brought this subject up was nothing more than a mean spirited reader who doesn't understand what I'm trying to do as the author of this story.
> 
> _This story isn't about the angst, even though there is a lot of it_ ; this is a story dedicated to finding the light of hope, even when there is nothing but darkness all around you. These characters have been through _hell_ , people they love have died and still they fight to survive. And this story isn't something I would be happy to hear that you pick up and put down, that you pull apart in your own time because you want to 'skip the boring parts' that you think have no meaning.
> 
> This doesn't apply to most of you, and I'm sorry if any of you take offense to this; this rant is directed to a singular commenter and they know who they are. I don't want to see any more hate perpetuated, so if everyone could, just ignore them and I'll handle any fallout that needs to happen. More than likely, they'll simply be ignored after this, because I won't give any single person that much power over my writing, or over the characters I choose to write about. It wouldn't be fair to me, or to the two wonderful fans who allowed me to borrow their characters for a wacky idea in a fanfiction that's tucked into this corner of AO3.
> 
> Now that that's over, I hope you all enjoy the chapter~!

The first thing you were aware of when you woke up was the throbbing pain at the base of your skull. The headache bloomed toward the rest of your head, but you opened your eyes anyway. The room you were in was nicely furnished, with light purple colored walls and a darker shade for the carpet. All the furniture in the room was white, including the headboard of the bed you were currently laying on. You sat up and felt the near-silken feel of the comforter under your hands as you peered around slowly, trying to will the pain in your head away.

Where were you? How did you get here?

A fuzzy memory of leaving the Underground, kissing Sans and telling him you’d be back…

_”I promise…”_

You’d been in the grocery store. That much came back. You’d been in one of the aisles, filling the cart and trying not to draw attention to the amount of food you were buying—it was smart that the other four humans with your group had decided to split up and go to five different stores, rather than draw that much attention—when someone had come up behind you.

_”Your father is very disappointed, Gabriella.”_

After that…you had the vague feeling of struggling, your arm hurting, the people around you screaming for the police…then nothing. You reached up and rubbed the back of your neck, but winced when you found a small knot there. Someone had hit you, then.

Someone had mistook you for Gabbie. You supposed it should have been obvious that would happen, but you hadn’t even spared it a thought; not even after Jacobs and his buddy Zach had mentioned that they were out patrolling the city. You groaned quietly and rubbed your face before standing.

You spared another glance around the room, supposing you were in Gabbie’s old room. It looked so childish, you had a feeling that Gabbie’s father was responsible for the décor. You noticed that your shoes were missing, as were your socks, and the carpet felt plush to you. Well, running away would be ten times harder bare-foot, but…

The thought was shaken away.

You could still play this off as a simple misunderstanding; act angry for being attacked, demand to be set free…it would work out…it would be fine.

Oh boy, you don’t feel so sure of that.

Still, it couldn’t hurt to try. You took a deep breath and tried to think of an appropriate response to waking up in a strange room. Who was Gabbie’s father? Everything in the room looked pretty upscale, and it was starting to gnaw a worry hole into your stomach.

You walked up to the door and put your ear to the wood, trying to hear through it, but the rest of the house seemed to be dead silent. The metal of the doorknob was cool to the touch and you started to pull the door open…except you couldn’t. The door was locked.

A wave of fear bubbled into your stomach, and you tried the door again. Why was the door locked? You couldn’t see any lock on this side-

Uneasiness settled in the place of the fear. Why would Gabbie have a door that locked from the outside? She looked nearly your age, and the way she worked she was definitely an independent sort of woman, so why…

_“My…my father is not a good person.”_

You swallowed hard, trying to ignore the pit that was starting to form in your stomach. You had to press forward, it was all you could do. So you started to bang on the door.

“H-Hey!” You had no idea what was going to happen now, but it had to be better than sitting in this room, “Hey! Let me out! Where am I?”

Minutes stretched out, and you tried again. You realized that despite the fact that you were hitting the door until your hand hurt, it was a dull sound and that meant the door was thick and solid. Was anyone even able to hear you out there?

Your question was answered 15 minutes later when you heard a lock turning.

Right, you had to be angry…

The door swung inward and you backed out of its way, ready to start your act, but you froze. You weren’t sure who you were expecting behind that door, but this was certainly a surprise.

“Jacobs?” You hissed quietly, glancing past him to see immaculate white walls and expensive paintings, but he seemed to be alone.

Jacobs himself looked pale and shaken, but he let out a small sigh, “Geez, those bozos picked up the wrong girl…”

You put your hand on your hips, huffing slightly, “Ok, Gabbie’s safe, but why the hell am _I_ here?”

“Look, this is pretty screwed up,” Jacobs leaned back to check down the hall as if he were expecting someone, “But you aren’t supposed to know me, and Masters isn’t an idiot, so you can’t let it slip at _all_.”

“Jacobs, what’s going on,” You felt the pit in your stomach reappear, “You look like a wreck, and Gabbie was terrified of being found…just…what’s going to happen?”

He froze, glancing at you with a strange look in his eyes, “I…I dunno…Masters is…volatile; there’s no telling what he’ll do, even though you obviously aren’t his kid, I mean…”

“I…this is dangerous, isn’t it…?” You felt your voice fall a little.

“I can’t keep stalling, I just need to bring you along,” Jacobs gently took your upper arm and you had half a mind to jerk away, but considering he was going to pretend he had no idea who you were… “I’ll try to figure a way to get you outta here, but right now I can’t.”

His voice got harder and you realized just how scared of Masters he really was. Scared enough to go along with this, to leave Gabbie in this situation, and you were starting to get the feeling just how bad this situation really was. You started walking without hesitation as Jacobs pulled you out of the room and down the hall into a spacious living room. The more you looked, the more money you realized Masters must have access to. The windows showed that you were on the top floor of a tall building—a penthouse, no doubt—and you felt something uneasy slip into your stomach.

Down another hallway, passed a silver door with a big padlock on it, and soon you and Jacobs stopped in a big office, with red carpet and gold decals everywhere. The desk was a dark wood of some kind, and you found yourself staring at the back of a dark leather office chair.

“Mr. Masters,” Jacobs said easily, standing with his back straight next to you.

You didn’t know why, but the sudden urge to run came over you. Dread and fear mixed in your chest and made you lean away. Whoever was sitting in that chair, you did not want them to turn around.

Victor spun the chair easily, his cigar already in his mouth as his eyes found Jacobs first and then found yours. A chill ran its way down your spine at their color, and how there was just something…off about the way his eyes gleamed.

You at least had a small sense of accomplishment when you saw his smooth smile falter and his eyes turned back to Jacobs with a glare.

“This isn’t my Gabriella,” Victor said quietly, “Jacobs, your men have failed me…again.”

Jacobs stiffened, but didn’t move otherwise, “Yes, sir, I realize that.”

“Who was it,” Victor’s voice fell into a deep tone of disgust and you swallowed, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way your hands had started to shake; you weren’t entirely sure why, but you had the feeling that nothing good was going to happen from this.

“Who…? Sir, I’ve already made sure to discipline-“

“ _Tell me who, Jacobs,_ ” The growl that came out of Victor’s throat made you take a step back, but thankfully both men were too busy to notice the gesture.

Silence filled the air before Jacobs spoke, resigned, “It was Norton, sir.”

Without hesitating, Victor pushed a button on his phone and spoke into it, “Send Officer Norton up to my penthouse, into my office, please.”

You felt whiplash hearing the gentle, almost sweet, voice coming out of the man behind the desk when he had nearly been animalistic not five seconds before. Jacobs didn’t seem surprised, but you saw the sweat that was now gathering on his temples. You clenched your fists, trying to stop the shaking that was moving to your core, making you feel weak and out of control.

Victor took a deep breath—in through his nose, and out through his mouth—before his eyes landed on you again. There were long moments of silence then, while you watched him study you. You tried not to squirm under his gaze, but you just couldn’t tell what he was thinking; maybe he wasn’t thinking at all. When he spoke next, you almost jumped.

“Please, forgive this sour case of mistaken identity,” Victor almost sounded soothing, but it just left ice in your stomach, “What is your name?”

Everything in you didn’t want to give him your real name, but the way his eyes trapped yours left you saying your name without hesitation.

“I am ever so sorry for this,” Victor didn’t really seem to listen to you when you spoke, “My little girl has run away, you see…I’m an only father, her mother left us when Gabriella was just a baby and I’ve tried my hardest to be a good father.”

If you didn’t know Gabbie, if you hadn’t heard the quiver in her voice when she mentioned her father, you might have fallen for the story that Victor now played for you. He had the right tone, that pained look on his face was the exact one you’d expect of a grieving father. He was playing a song and expecting you to dance, and despite the protective nature in you that wanted to jump up and tell him he was full of shit, the fear that gripped your instincts held you at bay.

“W-well,” You swallowed, trying to keep your tone even, “You do what you have to, as a parent…”

You weren’t convinced by your tone, but Victor seemed happy enough that you said it.

“I take it you have children?” You weren’t sure he was really interested, but you found yourself talking out of your own nervousness.

“None of my own,” You answered quietly, shoving your hands into your pockets to hide the way they shook, “But my sister passed away and I take care of her child, now.”

Victor nodded knowingly, “Can’t leave family to the wolves; children need to know they’re wanted and loved.”

You shrugged, glancing at Jacobs—who still hadn’t moved and was staring directly out the window in front of you. You felt like you were flying blind and everything was unsure; you would refuse to give Frisk’s real name should the subject continue, but you couldn’t shake the feeling that Victor was uninterested because it felt like he already knew. Your eyes glanced to the other side of the room and you froze when you saw a company logo attached to the wall: Master Technologies.

Fear bubbled in your stomach again and you found yourself looking back at Victor. He was _Victor Masters_ , the richest CEO and company owner on this side of the globe; he was also the _creator_ of the monster collars and stood fully with the government in their treatment of monsters. You wanted to faint or cry, but you just clenched your jaw and tried to keep your breathing steady.

“You know, I’ve heard a story on the news recently,” Victor stood from his chair and slowly walked around his desk before he leaned against the front of it, both of his hands holding the edge as he eyed you, “Of a local author’s disappearance in connection to the Resistance.”

You froze and your stomach turned into a black hole.

“It was a fascinating story, since she was also the designated guardian of the child—Frisk was their name?—who once tried to become the _ambassador_ of the monsters to the human government!”

Victor laughed then, and you felt your knees start to shake, watching his shoulders bounce from his obvious mirth.

“Now, I normally wouldn’t have noticed such a report,” Victor waved one hand, his eyes finding yours again, “Except for the most fascinating detail…the author shares a _remarkable_ resemblance to my missing child.”

You swallowed, trying to catch the breath that was escaping you in quiet gasps.

A chuckle left him, “You certainly are unlucky, aren’t you? You escaped with the Resistance, took your charge with you and disappeared, happy and safe…only to be caught by my security force on the grounds that you look like my Gabriella; how…. _hilarious_.”

Victor fell into another wave of laughter and you felt tears start to prick at your eyes, but you couldn’t move. You couldn’t even think straight.

“You called me, Mr. Masters…?”

The new voice broke into the tension like a wrecking ball and you were able to stop yourself from crying, but the desperate fear in your stomach just wouldn’t go away. Victor gave a glance toward the door as a short man came in.

He was wearing civilian clothes and seemed to have came in a hurry, if the sweat on his brow was any indication. You glanced between Norton and Victor a couple of times as the CEO continued to laugh, almost harder now that Norton was here.

“Come in, come in,” Victor finally straightened up, still smiling wide enough to show his white teeth; if you weren’t terrified of him, you might appreciate how it made him look younger, less…crazed, “Norton, I have to congratulate you…”

Victor moved so that he could reach into the top drawer of his desk and you saw him pull out a photograph.

“Take a look at our guest and then this picture…” Victor was on the verge of laughing again, you could hear it in his voice.

To his credit, Norton looked like the last thing he wanted to do was get closer to Victor; but following orders, Norton moved closer, his eyes tracing over your face slowly as he reached for the photograph and turned it over to study the occupants. From where you were standing, you could see that there were two people pictures, one was obviously Victor and the other had to be Gabbie.

Norton froze, his eyes turning up to study you again. You saw his body stiffen and his lips press together as he swallowed.

“Notice anything, Norton?” Victor giggled, “Just say it, I think its so funny…”

“A-ah,” Norton handed the picture back, looking at the floor, “Th…that’s not your daughter…”

“ _Right!_ ” Victor broke down laughing again, using the desk to support his weight as his body shook from the sound.

You glanced at Jacobs again, but he was staring at Norton; the shorter man looked uncomfortable, maybe even hopeful. You jumped when you saw Victor had moved toward Jacobs, clapping him on the shoulder.

In one smooth movement, Victor reached forward and pulled out the gun at Jacobs’s hip, aimed it at Norton while Victor stared at Jacobs in the eye, and pulled the trigger three times before Norton fell into a lifeless pile.

You screamed.

You fell back, a sharp pain shooting up your tailbone as you landed hard and started to scoot away. You couldn’t tear your eyes away from the body now lying on the floor as blood and brain matter started to soak into the red carpets, richening its color. For a horrifying moment you had a thought that it was completely possible that Victor had moved into this apartment with _white_ carpets and their current color was the result of time and his madness.

Jacobs only flinched for the first gunshot and somehow managed to keep eye contact with Victor long enough for the man to turn his attention on you.

“Now, now,” Victor waved the gun carelessly, “No need to react in such a way…after all, you’re my honored guest, for the time being; and I always treat my guests well.”

Another laugh left his throat, but this time it was flatter, more malevolent and it chilled you.

“Oh, don’t go crying like that, sweetheart,” Victor chuckled and you felt the nausea build up in your stomach at this man using Sans’s nickname for you, but you realized that tears had started to fall down your face without your noticing, “You’ll make me think you’re ungrateful.”

You started to tremble as he took a few short steps closer to you before reaching down to pull you up by your upper arm, his touch much rougher than Jacobs. You wanted to call out to the man, try to find some way that you could get away from Victor, but one glance at Norton and then another at the gun still in Victor’s hand killed your voice in your throat. You couldn’t, you wouldn’t; all it would do would put Jacobs’s death on your soul and you couldn’t handle that.

Jacobs was staring down at Norton, and he hated that his first thought was at least _this time_ , it would be an easy cover up; Norton had no significant other, and no family to speak of. There was that that same sense of powerlessness, of knowing that no matter what, Victor would get what he wanted because he wanted it more, and he could outwait anyone to get it.

“Let me show you my finest guest room,” Victor chuckled, yanking you toward the door and down the hall. Pure terror filled your stomach and you knew before you got there that he was going before you even entered the hallway, and you tried to pull back when you saw that Victor was pulling you straight toward the silver door.

“Stop, are you crazy?” You tried to pull away, tried to pull out of his grip, but his hand tightened around your wrist and you gasped when you felt your bones grind together.

“Crazy,” Victor breathed the word, cupped it with his voice like he was cradling it, before he chuckled, “That would depend; is it crazy to be the only sane man left in the world?”

Victor twisted your arm and you hit your knees with a short scream of pain, cradling the wrist when he let you go to unlatch the padlock on the silver door. You tried to get up, but the pain from your wrist made your knees weak, and by the time you managed to get to your feet—while leaning heavily into the wall—Victor had grabbed your hair and was yanking you through the doorway and into the darkness of the room.

“Let me GO,” You tried to claw his hand, pulled, yanked, tried to dead weight, nothing stopped Victor from yanking you into the room and throwing you against the back wall.

“Boys,” He spoke into the darkness, looking at something you couldn’t see, “Teach her a rough lesson.”

Then, without much more decorum, he swept out of the room and slammed the silver door closed.

You nearly shrieked, throwing yourself at the door, but it wouldn’t budge; the handle turned, but it wouldn’t even move against your pushing and yanked. The room was pitch black; there didn’t even seem to be a crack under the door to let light in, but it was only a moment before you realized that you could _see_ the door. There was a slight orange haze, with a small light that reflected off of the metal of the door. A white and pink light joined it, like a spotlight and you turned.

You could see an orange eye, a white eye and a bright pink heart at the other end of the room and you realized that you weren’t alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	44. Culmination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNING: **   
>  ** Violence **
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> First and foremost~ This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend [Alice](http://alicecharm.tumblr.com/) for helping me with a few details of this chapter :3 (THANK YOU LOVELY)
> 
> Second! This part of the story (this 'arc' if you will) is coming to an end soon, BUT!!! It's not the end of the story! There will be more~ I would like to know if you lovelies prefer it in a separate story altogether--a la sequel--or if you all would prefer if I just kept adding chapters to this story.
> 
> NEXT! This chapter has a companion! [Chapter Three of the 'HIAPOTS - a side tale.'](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7313167/chapters/16653979)
> 
> This chapter is SUPER long (~9 pages on microsoft word, lol...). So, we'll see how it goes haha.
> 
> OH! And a ShotOut! Everyone should go and give [Otherworld](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5968174/chapters/13715659) written by [RockyRose](http://archiveofourown.org/users/RockyRose/pseuds/RockyRose)
> 
> And I mention a few social media sites in this chapter (Alice and I used our clever wit to disguise them! haha) See if you can guess what sites we were spoofing!

Sans leaned against the wall in the throne room, his eyes closed, but his ears open. Different groups were talking and he was taking a sampling of each conversation.

“It’s only been a few hours,” Devon was saying across the room, “If we can just figure out who took her-“

“-no doubt we’ll have to give up something to get her back,” Someone else was saying a little closer, off to his left.

“There are no guarantees that she’s still alive,” A somber voice broke in, and Sans recognized that it belonged to the Bunny monster who used to own the inn down in Snowdin.

Fear, anger and despair mingled in his chest like a mire and he tried to tune out the different voices in favor of listening for Asgore’s.

“-will not give up,” Asgore was saying, most likely to Frisk, “She will be returned, even if we must come out of hiding.”

“W-we can’t j-just m-make a f-full f-frontal a-attack,” Alphys leaned into Undyne, “W-we d-don’t e-even know wh-where she i-is.”

Sans opened his eyes and it took every ounce of strength to keep from teleporting from the room and start a solo search for you; the fact was, no one had a clue where you were. There were no clues and the only hunch anyone had to go off of was Gabbie and the fact that her father, Victor Masters had been on a city-wide search for her.

“He’d take her back to his penthouse,” Gabbie said quietly; it wasn’t the first time she said it, “That’s where he keeps all of his ‘trophies’.”

“What do you mean ‘trophies’?” Undyne turned to face the human girl, “I thought you were his only kid.”

“I am,” Gabbie said, looking at the ground, “But he keeps monsters he thinks are important…at least for a while…”

She glanced to the side, her eyes glazing over for a moment and the group went quiet. Except what she said—about monsters that Masters would think were important—caught Sans’s attention and he stepped forward.

“what kinds of monsters?” Sans asked quietly, his eyes trained on Gabbie.

Gabbie started, her eyes darting to meet Sans’s and the shorter skeleton could see the guilt that crossed them. He didn’t even need her to answer.

He took a step back, dread filling his insides, “papyrus is there, isn’t he?”

A sound like a whimper left Gabbie’s throat and she pressed her lips together, looking down, “Y…Yes, he is…”

Undyne looked ready for murder, “ _You’ve known where Papyrus was and you-_ ”

“Undyne,” Asgore cut her off by stepping in between the two and giving Undyne a stern look, “There are things that Gabbie and Jacobs have shared that make it clear why she has not brought up this information; we could not have mounted a rescue anyway.”

“Then what can we do?” Undyne spat, throwing your name against Asgore like a weapon, “How do we expect to save her, then?”

“U-Undyne,” Alphys reached up to grab Undyne’s hand, but the fish woman yanked her hand away.

“No, I get to flip out! This is bullshit!” Undyne’s voice rose higher and higher until everyone in the throne room was watching her, “Papyrus has been missing for almost a year, and we find out this bastard has been keeping him, and Gabbie has been with the Resistance for at least a _month_!”

Gabbie shrunk away from Undyne, but answered weakly, “Y-you don’t know what he’s capable of! What he did to me-“

“ _You’re still alive, aren’t you??_ ” Undyne snarled, “How much longer does Papyrus have? How long, on average, did other monsters last? Don’t sit there and act like you’re the ultimate victim in this!”

Gabbie winced and looked down, tears starting to fall down her face, “He…I…Papyrus…”

“Don’t you dare say his name like you _knew_ him,” Undyne snapped.

“Undyne!” Alphys suddenly rose her voice, shocking the whole group. The small monster was shaking, her eyes on the floor as she tried not to think about all the eyes that were probably on her now.

Undyne looked down at her girlfriend and then made a noise in her throat, backing down.

There was silence over the whole throne room, and Sans tried not to choke on it. You and Papyrus, at the hands of a man who created the monster collars and if the way Gabbie reacted was any indication, then the both of you were in for something terrible and it make his insides quake.

The group jumped slightly when Devon was suddenly next to them.

“Hey! Guys, I got an email from that Agents group!” Devon was holding out his cellphone—a normal one, since he refused to hand it over to Alphys for an ‘upgrade’—to show small lettering on the screen.

Sans raised a brow, and Asgore explained to the group quickly, “They’re another group of monster Activists that have been working separate from us. We have yet to meet with them, but Devon has been in their chat room circles, following with their movements for some time-“

“Asgore, buddy,” Devon chuckled, “It’s called social media; I just subscribe to their Videotube account and their stumblr blog; Kevin back there talks to a few of them on 5Kun, but anyway…”

Devon shook his head, refocusing, “But this guy, his name is Calin; he’s one of the big ones, top tier and he just emailed me this video! Look!”

The group gathered closer to look at his screen as Devon turned the volume up. It was shaky, obviously somebody running, following a man in all black and in black body armor. Sans could barely make out the logo on the back of his uniform: Master Technologies, and in his arms, he saw your limp body.

“Fuck! Look at that!” Undyne growled, but Devon cut her off before she could start ranting again.

“No, listen! That guy was part of Masters’s private security force, but they _aren’t_ the police, they’re not allowed to kidnap citizens!” Devon glanced around at the monsters, surprised that they weren’t more excited, “Guys, that means we just caught him in something _illegal_! If we can get people to view this, to start questioning Masters and his company, then we can start to tear his company down without lifting a finger!”

“but what happens to everyone stuck in that penthouse of his?” Sans spoke up suddenly.

The enthusiasm drained from Devon’s body and he glanced around the group, as if the answer would be there.

“I…geez, man, I dunno,” Devon swallowed.

“No, what you’ve brought us is something that is important and we need to jump on it quickly,” Asgore said, his back straight for the first time since the news of your disappearance, “You and Kevin need to spread this, but I wonder if the video alone would be enough to convey our message….”

A shy girl from another group walked up slowly, “I…Uh, I used to be news anchor, before I was fired and all that…so, I could provide a voice over, if we can find a computer and a program.”

“I-I c-can h-help with th-that,” Alphys piped up for the first time since her outburst, and started to move toward Devon and the shy girl.

Undyne watched her go, but stayed in her place, turning back to the group after a moment.

“that didn’t answer what we’re going to do in the meantime,” Sans said, his voice gaining a little strength.

“If my father starts to lose his company and he thinks he’s going to lose everything,” Gabbie said after a moment of silence, “He…he’ll self-destruct; I don’t know what he’ll do to the people he’s keeping hostage, but he won’t risk losing them.”

Undyne growled, “Then we need to be ready to get inside and _take_ them!”

Sans felt a smirk on his face grow, “well, sneaking in is always a possibility; think we can find a _window_ of opportunity?”

Undyne rolled her eyes, but Asgore chuckled quietly.

Gabbie ignored it completely, “I think I can sneak us in, but its risky.”

There was a pause before Undyne crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at Gabbie, “’Us’ huh, punk?”

Sans could see the slight smile starting at the corner of Undyne’s mouth; the fish woman couldn’t resist seeing someone take up some guts and face what they feared most. Still, he found himself speaking.

“ya realize you don’t hafta go, right?” Sans understood fear; he understood it like an old friend, come to call. He recognized it in himself almost daily, just as easily as he recognized it in Gabbie’s eyes as she glanced between Undyne, Sans, and Asgore.

“I…I know I don’t,” Gabbie looked down, before she whispered your name, “But she was always kind, and I know without really knowing her that she would do the same for me.”

And that was enough for Sans.

“then we have an infiltration to plan,” Sans said, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets.

~*~

You froze when you saw the eyes lock onto you and whimpered as they rose from their places in either corner of the room and you could tell that whoever they belonged to towered over you.

“Wh-who are you?” You squeaked, backing into the corner next to the door, your back pressed tightly into it even as both sets of eyes drew closer. There wasn’t an answer as the two drew closer and you let out a short scream before diving to one side, barely feeling something brush past your back in an attempted grab for you.

It was a moment later that your soul left your chest and the bright yellow of it lit up the room.

You wished for the darkness again. The way that your soul lit up your two attackers was haunting.

One was a tall metal man, with black hair flipped over one eye. The metal skin was broken in places, circuitry poking out and now that he was moving, it sparked every now and then. A vague sense of nostalgia washed over you as you looked at him, but your mind was washed with fear and panic.

The other was a tall skeleton, with one glowing orange eye; he was dressed nicely, though the clothes were ruffled, like he’d been sleeping in them. The way his eye glowed and just the look of him reminded you of…

“P-Papyrus?” You choked the name out, testing it by throwing it out into the darkness.

The skeleton didn’t respond and you had to jump back as a long bone appeared in his hand and he took a swing at you.

Then you were surprised when the metal man answered you.

“You know Papy, darling?” His face was surprised, even as the pink heart in his stomach jumped out and started to release small, lightning-bolt shaped projectiles that you tried your best to dodge, but they still grazed your skin and left you screaming in pain.

“I…I know his brother,” You felt tears in your eyes and you watched both of them carefully, knowing attacks were coming soon, “Stop attacking!”

“I…I can’t, darling,” The metal man looked forlorn and he made a pose as small robots appeared and charged you, making you dive out of the way, while dodging another swing of Papyrus’s bone, “That _vile_ man gave an order.”

Your eyes widened and you looked down at his neck. A collar sat against his skin, and you swallowed. If you can just reach that…

A bone shot up from the ground and you screamed as it flew at you, knocking you to the ground and sending shooting pain through your body.

Your body shook as you pushed yourself to sit up. Apart from the fact that Papyrus was nearly relentless, you saw that the two of them didn’t move away from each other; if you got close enough to try and nullify the collar, Papyrus would be able to hit you without trying…

“Dodge, darling!”

You rolled without thinking, just barely missing the next wave of bones and small robots, but the metal man yelling rang at the back of your head and you had a shock of memory.

“Mettaton,” You breathed, “You’re Mettaton, the monster actor…”

“I’m usually happy to meet a fan, but I can’t say now is the greatest time!” Mettaton struck another pose and you pushed yourself to your feet, making it easier to dodge the bombs that were thrown your way.

The two of them were relentless, and your body hurt and from what you could guess from the feel of your clothes, you were bleeding in more than a few places.

“I need to get to your collar!” You said quickly, stumbling away from another wave of bones and toward the two of them.

“Are you nuts, girlie?” Mettaton struck another poke and the lightning bolts appeared; you had no choice, if you dodge them, you’d be back to square one.

You had to go through them.

You crossed your arms in front of your face and you jumped through, crying out in pain each time you were hit and before you realized it, you nearly bumped into Mettaton’s chest. Papyrus turned to face you and you swallowed, reaching up toward Mettaton’s neck. One of Mettaton’s arms snaked around your waist and legs. Your hands wrapped around the collar, looking for the clasp. Papyrus drew back, read to swing. You closed your eyes. Mettaton gasped.

You ripped off the collar and froze.

It was a moment of heavy breathing that you realized that nothing had happened. Papyrus hadn’t hit you, and Mettaton hadn’t dropped to the floor in a pile of dust.

You opened your eyes and looked up at Mettaton, but his face was turned toward Papyrus, who Mettaton had grabbed by the collar and shoved back against the wall, his arm extended out at least triple its normal length. Papyrus had a glazed over look of someone stunned and you glanced down at your hands to see that collar in your hands.

“Shit,” You said quietly, your body starting to tremble.

“Don’t worry that pretty head of yours, darling,” Mettaton said quietly, his eyes still on Papyrus, “I owe my Papy-dear some loving _attention_.”

And with that, Mettaton lifted the skeleton and slammed Papyrus into the floor, and you winced. Guilt overtook your stomach when you felt relieved as you noticed Papyrus fall unconscious.

Your soul slowly sank back into your chest and the room fell into relative darkness again, with only Mettaton’s eye and his pink heart glowing for light.

A sob escaped your lips and you would have fallen to the ground except for the way that Mettaton’s arm was still snaked around your body, but Mettaton could feel you trembling.

“Oh darling, take a moment and breathe…” Mettaton gushed quietly, his now free hand coming to wipe a few tears away, “I won’t hurt you anymore now; that _horrid_ collar is gone, and I won’t let Papyrus hurt you either…”

You nodded, but the tears wouldn’t stop, “I…I want Sans.”

The admittance hiccupped out of you and more tears fell; you wanted the security you felt in his arms and the sense of safety that came with being in his presence. Everything was out of whack, a psychopath was holding you hostage and the first sign of Sans’s missing brother, and he was completely under the control of said psychopath-

That thought hit you and you hiccupped again, “I have to get Papyrus’s collar off…”

Mettaton hesitated; he’d been shocked at your admission about Sans, but now his face fell a little.

“Oh…darling…Papyrus isn’t wearing a collar anymore,” Mettaton swallowed, glancing toward the unconscious skeleton, “That…that _horrible_ creature out there did something to Papy’s soul and now he…he’s…”

You thought you heard tears in Mettaton’s voice and you swallowed thickly. Mettaton settled against one wall and let you settle next to him, away from Papyrus.

“What about that man, Masters?” You glanced in the direction you thought the door was in.

“When he ordered Papy to ‘punish’ me,” Mettaton said quietly, “He didn’t return until the next day; I do believe he’ll do the same in this situation.”

You nodded absently, and winced when you tried to settle. Your body hurt and you knew you felt blood drying on your clothes, but you couldn’t even hope to see the damage, let alone fix any of it. Mettaton offered you an apologetic glance, and you had the feeling that the metal man new less about healing magic than you did.

A sigh left you and you glanced toward where you knew Papyrus was now laying knocked out. He wasn’t wearing a collar; he wasn’t being forced to do anything, then, isn’t that what that meant? Except Mettaton said that Masters had done something to Papyrus’s soul…did he corrupt it somehow?

You could nullify magic, but what could you possibly do to a corrupted soul?

~*~

“Gingler, wake up,” Gaster’s voice broke into the dreamless sleep that had taken hold of Gingler.

She groaned, a headache blooming behind her eyes as consciousness returned to her, and Gingler refused to open her eyes.

“Fuck, Gaster,” She ground out, “You didn’t tell me that using magic would feel like getting my head bashed in by a baseball bat.”

“Humans fell out of practice with magic long ago,” Gaster answered easily, “It is perhaps why it only partially worked.”

Gingler’s eyes snapped open and sure enough, the blackness of the void was staring back at her.

“What the _fuck_ ,” Gingler deadpanned before she sat up, ignored the dull throb that threatened to take her back to the ground, “What do you mean partially worked?”

“Lyris seems to have disappeared,” Gaster said easily, his form next to her and squashed down as if sitting.

“… _Fuck_ ,” It seemed the only appropriate response to what Gaster said to her.

Gaster chuckled, “Yes; and perhaps ‘shit’ would also work as a substitute.”

Gingler sent a withering glare toward Gaster, but sighed in response, “How do we even know if she even made it to your timeline? What went wrong?”

There was silence as Gaster contemplated his answers, “As for what went wrong, perhaps I was wrong about the void…maybe instead of _it_ bending to the situation, rather the void itself bends the situation instead.”

Her eyes caught his and while his wording nearly confused her, it hit her what he was trying to say, “You mean like some kind of higher intelligence? Like a _god_ of some kind?”

Gaster shrugged, “It’s only a theory, but if you agree with me that this place seems to be a crossroads of some kind, then perhaps it also gathers the thoughts and feelings of all the places that cross through here.”

Her head started to spin, but she was still following, “You mean, like all of the collected feelings and thoughts gathered together here in this empty place and, what, became self-sentient or something?”

“Or it’s a place of chaos where a stray thought from another timeline can change the entirety of another timeline simply because crossed the void.”

“Like the butterfly effect?”

“Something similar, I think,” Gaster nodded.

“I think I prefer the idea of God,” Gingler shook her head.

“It would be more pleasant to think that someone is looking toward the best of those in its care,” Gaster assented, but settled deeper into himself, “There’s really no way to tell; I’ve seen no proof of sentience in the time I’ve been here.”

Gingler looked out at the void again and shrugged, “Maybe it’s shy.”

Gaster snorted, “Social anxiety?”

“Maybe,” She smiled toward him, “I mean, it lives in a _void_.”

There was a beat of silence before the two of them laughed together.

“Ok, but seriously,” Gingler sobered as she spoke, “How do we know if Lyris is ok?”

“Perhaps we can try an easier form of magic,” Gaster offered his hand and for the first time, Gingler noticed that it wasn’t attached to the rest of his body, at all. It simply floated a few inches away from his body, though something like an arm stretched out behind it.

Gingler was a little wary, but still reached out and rested her hand on his. She was surprised to find it warm, even the place where his palm had the hole, it was warm.

“Simply wish to find Lyris,” Gaster encouraged, “As if trying to tune into a channel on a television; I will try to guide your magic the same way I was able to peak into my own timeline.”

“Alright…here goes nothing,” Gingler took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

And this is what she saw.

~*~

The first thing Lyris was aware of when she woke up was how cold the ground felt. It was an almost shocking sensation after being in the void; there was no temperature to speak of in the void. It hadn’t been hot, or cold, or anything for that matter.

She opened her eye slowly, trying to find focus, but it was hard—her head was pounding dully and her body ached something fierce, but she still forced herself to focus.

Lyris found that she was in some sort of storeroom, if the cardboard boxes and the mop and bucket were any indication. It was dark, but thanks to her natural low-light vision, the bar of light coming from under the only door was more than enough to see by, and she used that to guide her as she stood up and headed for said door.

Her mind was all abuzz with questions, and she swallowed hard as the most prominent ones took over her mind.

Where were Gingler and Gaster? Was Lyris even in the correct timeline? Or, had the entire episode in the void been nothing more than a dream, a deep longing for something meaningful to come from her life?

Lyris swallowed again and reached for the doorknob, peaking out to see where exactly she was.

Wherever she was, it was quiet and while an overhead light was on, it seemed to be the only one. She recognized that she was in the back of a store of some kind, but she couldn’t even begin to guess what kind, other than there seemed to be a lot of boxes nearby of different sized plastic cups with a strange logo on them with the number 31 blazoned on them. Her eye glanced over the room before heading toward a back door that was marked as an ‘EXIT’, but the red warning labels over them said something about an alarm so she turned around and tried to find another way.

Lyris wasn’t keen on the idea of going through the swinging door at the other side of the room, but if she couldn’t find another way…

Her heart jumped when she saw a window near the ceiling that was already cracked open. That would work just fine, if she could actually get up there.

As she looked for a step ladder—or a real ladder, she wasn’t picky—her mind wandered again; just where was she? Was Gingler able to get the three of them into Gaster’s timeline? The worries started to build up in her chest and she swallowed, at least relieved to find a ladder stuffed in the back corner of the storeroom she had woken up in.

The window moved silently and despite it only being about a foot tall, Lyris was happy to find that she could wiggle her way through the space easily. She only got caught once—a button on her dress caught the edge of the window and by the feeling of it, popped off completely—and soon, Lyris was lowering herself into the alleyway on the other side of the window.

The alleyway itself wasn’t big, it seemed to dead-end a little further down and only seemed to exist for the sake of the store Lyris had just broken out of and another just a little further down. Lyris headed toward the street, where she could see the streetlights were already on, even though there was still a little bit of daylight left….or was that sunrise?

Everything was disorientating for the cyclops and she had to take a moment to breathe so she could focus. The shop she had been in was empty and closed, plus there was very little foot traffic on the street—much to her luck—so it was more than likely early in the morning.

Her eyes roamed the street before she looked toward the taller building, her eyes freezing on one building in particular. It had the name ‘Master Technologies’ printed on the side of it, though it didn’t look to be any kind of office building. It looked like a really nice hotel, or apartment building and Lyris felt herself pulled toward it, her feet moving before she could even think to stop herself.

More than her soul, more than her own intuition, she felt _something_ pushing her toward that building, and she felt powerless to stop it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	45. Beginning Of The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> Soooo, finally back! It was a long weekend with a few bumps along the way, but I made it home and ready to get this fic rolling again!
> 
> First and foremost! I'm borrowing Calin, Ash, and Saoirse from [British_Heroine](http://archiveofourown.org/users/British_Heroine/pseuds/British_Heroine)'s fic, [HIAPOTS - A side tale.](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7313167) (Go look at their tumblr [HERE](http://british-hero.tumblr.com/))
> 
> Next, WE'RE ALMOST AT 100 FOLLOWERS ON TUMBLR GUYS~~~ I'm soooo excited! You lovelies are so awesome, you've brought the number up steadily and I owe that to all of you, so THANK YOU! SO MUCH!! Once we reach 100 followers (and I will announce that on tumblr, so keep an eye on the page!) I would like to celebrate and I'm pretty sure I know how. I'll make sure everyone here knows how they can help me out for sure :3
> 
> Many of you probably have noticed, there's an actual number of expected chapters. This is because I'm currently writing the last two chapters and already know that we will in fact be ending HIAPOTS at 50 chapters. BUT!!! There is still the sequel to look forward to! Keep an eye on the tumblr, because as soon as the final chapter for HIAPOTS is put up, I should have a writing schedule posted to let everyone know how what to expect from me on what days :3
> 
> OK ENOUGH STALLING! GO READ!

Gingler had to take a break not long after she and Gaster caught their first glimpse of Lyris. It was comforting to know that she was indeed in the correct timeline, but it had been strange to see that she was walking with purpose, though neither of the two occupants of the void could figure out where she was going before Gingler needed to stop.

“There is something afoot,” Gaster said as he sat on the ground next to Gingler, “I am not sure what it is, but keep your strength, as we may need to see into my timeline again soon.”

Gingler wasn’t going to argue; using magic gave her a raging headache and made her whole body feel weak. She didn’t bother to tell Gaster this; either he already knew or he didn’t and no matter which it was, they couldn’t stop now.

“…How long has it been since you’ve been with your sons?”

Gaster froze at the question, but Gingler wasn’t looking at him to see his reaction.

“It…” His voice was quiet, “It has been a very long time; since Papyrus was a toddler, at least…it has felt like much longer, here in the void.”

With Papyrus being an adult now, that was decades, at least—that thought, paired with the sight of the empty void made Gingler feel suddenly very lonely.

“Well…at least you had this pile of dirt,” Gingler glanced back at it, though her face and voice showed she was trying to cheer the goopy monster up.

Gaster chuckled, “They are recent additions, I’m afraid; the dirt, I believe, was dropped into the void by Sans. The table was a surprise, as I felt no magic attached to it…”

He continued when Gingler looked confused, “It was their appearance that gave me the idea of this place being a sort of crossroads; I had nothing to lose by calling out for help.”

“Who were you calling out to? Lyris and I?”

“Perhaps,” Gaster looked down at himself, “Or perhaps we were not wrong about the void being sentient and it called the both of you here.”

“Then why was Lyris the only one allowed out? And why have you been trapped here, alone, all this time?” Gingler crossed her arms, looking as if she’d been insulted.

“I cannot even begin to guess,” Gaster looked amused, though his eyes betrayed the despair he felt, “I simply cannot fathom the big picture, or even begin to grasp the truth of the universe. There was a time I thought I could, and I have come to find that I was arrogant and very wrong.”

Gingler felt her heart sink as she watched Gaster speak before she responded, “…I don’t think its arrogant to want to have that knowledge…and I don’t think its arrogant to think you have it figured out, either.”

“Thank you,” Gaster raised his head to offer her a smile.

~*~

Asgore was not an easy monster to hide in a city, but it was perhaps luck that the streets seemed sparse this early in the morning. Most shops were still closed, and slipping from alleyway to alleyway proved to be an easy feat.

They had been in contact with the leaders of the group called the Agents—Devon called it a ‘video chat’—and they had agreed to meet with Asgore and the group that would be infiltrating the Masters penthouse; despite the fact that all three had appeared human, Asgore had actually recognized one of them.

“Saoirse; she’s not human, though I was never told what exactly she was,” He had explained to the group, “She was there for my father’s memorial and when he fell down; he trusted her that much I know.”

Now he was leading Undyne, Sans, Devon, Inker, and a few more volunteers to the address specified by the Agents.

“They can’t be all bad,” Devon had reasoned, “They want Masters brought down as much as we do and they’ve been freeing monsters since before Asgore started up the Resistance.”

“Its not a matter of trust,” Undyne had said, “If need be, Sans and I would be enough to take that scrawny human, Masters; it’s a matter of knowing who they think will be in charge.”

Asgore quelled that with a simple, “If we all have the same goal, then it does not matter.”

The address they came to was a large abandoned apartment building in a rundown part of the city.

Devon was the first to speak, “Well, at least we’ll be off the street and out of view.”

“small favors, but we should hurry,” Sans commented lightly; he hadn’t joked once since they left and that fact alone put everyone on edge.

The door that lead into the building from the alleyway was propped open and once their group of 8 were in the room, they let it close with a snap, leaving only the light coming in from a single window. The room itself was bare of usable furniture, with trash piling up in the corners. Dust floated in the air and left a few of their group sneezing.

They all jumped when a voice came from across the room.

“It’s, like, the Captain!”

“…Yeah.”

Undyne saw them first, “HEY! RG 01! RG 02! Guys!”

The three old teammates met in the middle of the room in a messy hug that turned into a playful wrestling match.

“Just WHERE have you two been?” Undyne was laughing loudly and Asgore’s group visibly relaxed.

“They have been assisting us,” A clear voice rang from the opposite side of the room.

Everyone froze before turning to look for the owner of the voice.

The woman who spoke shyly flipped her black hair over her shoulder, her green eyes watching the members of Asgore’s group before she spoke again, “It is good to see you again, Asgore.”

Asgore nodded, “Likewise.”

Slowly, more people and monsters filtered into the room from the door that Saoirse stood near; two humans in particular, who resembled each other uncannily—though one had brown hair and black eyes, and the other had black hair and blue eyes—joined Saoirse.

“These are the ones who were with me on the call,” Saoirse motioned to the man with brown hair, “This is Calin-“ then she motioned the girl with black hair, “And this is his sister, Ash.”

“Hey,” Calin smiled, returning the wave that Devon gave him.

“Hi,” Ash seemed tense, but still nodded her head politely.

Undyne extracted herself from the pile of royal guards and crossed her arms as she looked from Saoirse, to Calin, to Ash before she looked up at Asgore, “So, what’s the plan?”

Ash prickled at the sense that the three of them had somehow been slighted, but she grit her teeth and kept her patients.

Gabbie was the one to answer, “I said before, my father has an elevator that goes from the lowest level of the parking garage under the apartments that goes straight up to the penthouse; it lets out right in the kitchen.”

Ash couldn’t stop herself, “Wait, _you’re_ Gabriella Masters?”

Gabbie swallowed hard, but nodded toward the woman.

“What of it?” Undyne snapped, glaring, “She’s with the Resistance.”

Sans almost wanted to roll his eyes at the display between the two women and almost said something, but Saoirse spoke first.

“If Asgore trusts her, than we should as well,” Her voice was quiet enough that Ash turned to make sure she heard right, before nodding slowly.

Calin decided to refocus the group, “I don’t know about all of you, but-“ He did a quick count of their groups, “16 is a hard number of people to sneak into a place…”

Asgore nodded slowly, “We are aware that Masters still keeps many of his security forces near the apartment.”

“That’s because many of them live there,” Gabbie broke in.

“Ok, but we still have to be cautious,” Ash said.

“Says the one who brought 9 people,” Undyne’s stance stiffened.

“You brought 8!” Ash snapped, her hands clenching into fists.

“We shouldn’t fight!” Calin rubbed his face in exasperation.

“If everyone could just calm down,” Saoirse was focused on Ash, but she and Undyne were now bickering between themselves.

The rest of the groups shifted uncomfortably before there was a loud growl that shook everyone down to their cores.

“That is _Enough!_ ” The growl, and the words, belonged to Asgore.

Everyone froze, their eyes turned to the much larger monster as he strode to the middle of the room, turning in his place as he studied each face and contemplated his next words.

“There is enough anger and hatred out in this city, we cannot afford it in this room,” Asgore made sure to look at Undyne pointedly, and Ash was not forgotten in that—both looked guilty and couldn’t look into his eyes, “What differences are their between us? We both fight for the freedom of monsters, and yet I see no compassion in our eyes; we both have come for the betterment of this world, and yet we bicker like children, spoiled on some imaginary sense of entitlement. ‘One of our groups is more right than the other and that makes us more important’; that thinking must end!”

The room had fallen into silence, and every eye was on Asgore.

“It’s that thinking that started this horrible page of history,” Asgore’s voice fell to something almost mourning, “It was that thinking that made humans believe that we monsters didn’t deserve the equal treatment we have a right to; it was that sort of thinking that caused so many needless deaths and I implore each of you to search yourselves and to rid yourselves of this poisonous thought. We will work together for a brighter tomorrow, not as two separate groups, but as two heads of the same monster; like-goals, like-minded, equal and yet apart to better survey the landscape.”

There was silence after Asgore spoke and Saoirse stepped forward, “Asgore is correct; we cannot let our petty difference in opinions divide our like-minded goals. We are not enemies, but allies, vying for the same goal.”

Collectively, the room nodded, and Undyne rubbed the back of her head before she squared her shoulders.

“You’re right, fluffybuns,” Undyne punched her palm and with a shimmer in her eye glanced over at Ash, “You and me, we’re kinda alike, huh? So I’ll have your back, punk!”

Ash blew out a little air through her nose and smiled, “Yeah yeah, and I’ll get yours, loser.”

“So, the goal is that elevator,” Inker rolled her eyes and shook her head as she spoke, “Can we talk about that before we all start hugging and kissing like the war is already won?”

Calin crossed his arms and snorted, “Yeah, I’m with her; can we focus now?”

“Alright, so let’s go over the plan,” Asgore let the group crowd in close as he began to speak.

~*~

Jacobs was notified the minute the video had went live at 2 in the morning, and he’d been awake to hear the dull rumblings that Norton had been identified by a few hackers from the Agents—though the public would have no idea they were tied to the group—and now, bright and early at 8 in the morning, he’d been called by the front desk over at Master Technologies headquarters in the business district that the police were trying to find Norton and question him.

His stomach jumped and squeezed as he made his from his car toward the private elevator that would take him up to Victor’s penthouse—his boss wasn’t answering any calls at all.

Jacobs froze when he finally noticed all of the monsters and humans standing in odd corners and watching him intently. Jacobs recognized the humans, they were members of Masters’s private security force, but there were no friendly faces turned toward Jacobs. There was no sound—none of them moved, except to watch him—but there was a dull buzzing at the back of Jacobs’s head, making him uncomfortable and he could feel fear starting to pool at the bottom of his stomach. He didn’t stop, until someone stepped out to block him, just before he was able to make it to the door—disguised as an ‘employees only’ door.

“Bobby,” Jacobs breathed a sigh of relief, “Just what the hell is all this?”

Bob Courtland was a man of intimidating size; he was near 7 feet tall, muscular and built thick. Jacobs often thought of a tank when trying to describe the man. Knowing him personally, Jacobs knew that Bob wouldn’t hurt a fly without an order from Masters, but this…so many humans and monsters in one place…

“Masters called us in and said no one is supposed to go up,” Bob said easily, “There’s another group of us up by the main elevators; just what are you doing here, Jacobs?”

Uh oh. Last names were only supposed to be used for business and this seemed of the serious sort.

“I gotta talk to Masters,” Jacobs tried to keep his back straight, but he could already tell by Bob’s hardening stance that it was all but useless, “No, just call up and say its me; he’ll want to know about what’s been-“

“Masters _already_ knows,” Bob said, crossing his arms, “Turn around and go home.”

“He knows about the police at headquarters?” Jacobs tensed, “But how? I just got the call before I raced over here.”

“It’s Masters’s business, Jacobs,” Bob shook his head, “And honestly, I don’t care to know too many details.”

The words spilled out before Jacobs could stop them, “Masters _killed_ Norton, Bobby! Shot him dead right in front of me! You think I want to know any more than you do?”

Bob winced, his shoulders falling a little, “…fuck…the kid was just outta training camp…”

“He was just following _orders_ , Bobby,” Jacobs hissed, but he saw a few of the people around them shift slightly, “…what’s with the monsters, Bobby? None of them have collars.”

Bob glanced around once before answering, “Masters said he had some newfangled technology in order to control them and that we were supposed to support them as they would do most of the work…”

Jacobs could see the uncomfortable way Bob shifted from one foot to another and how his eyes darted around the room. He didn’t have to turn around to know that Bob was looking at each of the monsters around this level of the parking garage.

Before Jacobs could comment on it, something tugged at his center and he glanced to one side. He quickly squared back to Bob, trying not to look suspicious before Jacobs spoke again.

“Listen, I’m not trying to cause trouble; I’ll go check on the group at the main elevators and be back, yeah?” Jacobs rubbed the back of his neck.

Bob watched him for a moment before nodding, “Alright, Jacobs…I’ll call up to Masters and see if he wants to see you…you go do your little patrol…”

Jacobs didn’t wait to be told twice and he started to walk toward the door that would lead him toward the stairwell.

Lyris swallowed and jumped away from the door she’d been peeking through. She hadn’t been sure that the human man had seen her when he’d glanced this way, but the way he was walking toward her now didn’t leave any doubt that whether he saw her or not, he would once he walked in here. She quickly moved and ducked under the stairs, happy that there was a space and that the stairs weren’t the kind where anyone looking could see through the bottom of them.

Earlier, she had walked through the city, luckily managing to avoid being seen by any humans, but as soon as she walked through the front doors of this apartment building, she had to duck into a corridor off to the right of the entryway. The human at the front desk hadn’t noticed her, but if he would have looked up there was no doubt he would have noticed that Lyris only had one eye.

Despite seeing the sign that said the elevators were back in the direction of the front desk, Lyris felt that same strange pulling on her soul that lead her toward the direction that followed the sign that said ‘stairs’.

The stairwell itself was empty and not well lit, but before she could choose a direction, her feet were already taking her down, down, down. The pull was getting stronger, as if she were but a piece of a puzzle being moved into place and it sent chills down her spine wondering just who was in control.

Now she was trapped under the stairs, waiting for the human to pass by or to find her and it made her body tremble; humans in this timeline were hostile. They put monsters under them as slaves. She didn’t realize just how much the idea of that terrified her until now, when faced with the prospect of being found, of being forced to wear a collar, of her will being stripped from her like some kind of animal…

The sound of the door opening pulled her from her thoughts so violently that she almost whimpered, but her hands came up to her mouth to silence herself before she could even breathe in. Lyris swallowed and tried to stop her trembling, but it was useless—she just had to wait for him to pass by, to walk up the stairs and ignore that he might have seen something-

“Hey.”

Lyris squeaked and quickly shoved herself away from the sound of the voice, nearly hitting her head on the stairs as she did so.

“Woah, woah,” Jacobs held his hands up in surrender, “I’m not an enemy! You’re a monster right? I’m with the Resistance.”

He glanced around and lowered his voice when he admitted that, but when his eyes returned to the one-eyed monster, he realized that it was a woman in a flowered sun-dress.

Lyris swallowed and watched him mistrustfully, “The Resistance…? The group that Asgore leads, right…?”

Jacobs stopped, “Well…yeah…are you not with them? Are you an Agent?”

Lyris had no idea what he was talking about anymore, but nodded anyway.

“What are you doing here?” Jacobs glanced back toward the door that lead back out into the parking garage.

She didn’t answer at first, still watching him carefully, “I…I felt something tugging my soul…so I followed it.”

“Tugging your soul-“ Jacobs started to ask, but cut himself off.

Hadn’t he felt something similar? Just before he’d noticed her peeking through the door behind him?

“Were you trying to get to the private elevator?” Jacobs finally asked quietly.

Lyris shrugged, “I…All I know is that I felt the tug leading me toward the door that big human was guarding…”

She paused a moment to wonder why she was being so open with him; there was no guarantee that he really was with the Resistance—Gaster had never mentioned a human like this to her during his telling of the events of this timeline. Still, the more she shared, the easier the grip on her chest felt and it was better than sitting here not talking at all while he stared at her.

“I don’t think you’ll be getting there easily…” Jacobs looked sheepish, but motioned for her to come out, “Isn’t it uncomfortable under there? I promise, I won’t hurt you.”

Despite her better judgement, Lyris believed him.

Once she was standing next to him—but not too close; she hadn’t left all of her good sense behind her—Jacobs nodded and said, “Call me Jacobs.”

“…Lyris,” She answered quietly before walking around him to peek through the small window that looked out at the parking garage.

“Are you just going to wait here?” Jacobs blinked slowly, “It’s not safe, you really need to get out of here-“

“I can’t,” Lyris answered, “I can’t explain it, but I know I have to wait here…I’ll know when I have to go.”

Jacobs blinked before he opened his mouth to speak, but without warning all hell broke loose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open! (We’re almost at 100 followers, guys!)


	46. Call Out For Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNING: **   
>  ** Mild Violence, Abuse **
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> Another chapter closer! This is going to get harder before it gets better, but hang in there, my lovelies~

Victor first became aware of the video that morning at 6am, when a member of the board of directors for Master Technologies called him, waking him from a fitful sleep.

Watching it himself, he felt the building rage that made him go to the now cold body of Norton—which he had left in his office overnight for no other reason than pure delight in seeing his own handiwork—and kicked Norton until he felt bones break in the body. The blood in the carpet had long dried, and Victor could feel the crusted evidence under his foot as he glared down at Norton, but made no more move against the body.

It hadn’t been long after that when Victor had released the creatures of his ‘pet’ project—he’d stopped for almost 20 minutes to laugh at the unintentional pun—and to order three separate squads to guard both elevators up to his penthouse. Someone would come to check, he knew that. Someone always came to check when it came to business; the money and the politics of it demanded that someone come to check on him…but they wouldn’t be able to. They wouldn’t find his dirty laundry even if he had to break a few necks to keep it hidden.

When he got a call from his personal secretary at about 8 telling him about the police looking for Norton, he told her to stall them by saying he was going to cooperate fully and will be in the office by 11 am sharp…as a respected member of the city, they would wait…he knew that much.

It was now only 8:30, but he had finished a shower, dressed in his best suit and finished getting ready for the day.

_No one questions a perfect image_ His father used to say, _Anyone can get away with anything, as long as they project the perfect image._

And then his father would beat everyone in the house.

Victor pulled himself from those thoughts and moved back into his office just in time to see an email notification on his monitor. Clicking on it proved to be the worst mistake of his day, so far.

The email had no subject, some untraceable email in the ‘from’ line and held only a link. Despite a wariness to click—viruses were the least of his worries—he saw that it was a link to a Videotube page.

He clicked it and blinked slowly as he saw the shaking image of the lobby of his apartment building, and then an amateurish cut to the parking garage where whoever was holding the camera was panning around to see the members of his security force and the monsters he had ordered to guard the elevator entrance.

Before he could close the page, a voice cut over the video.

“This is the apartment building of Victor Masters, who is linked to the disappearance of a local author and now a member of his own security force, Gabe Norton; I don’t know about the rest of you, but it looks like Masters isn’t interested in cooperating all that much.”

Rage swelled in Victor’s chest when the video cut to black and that _Stupid_ logo for the Agents appeared with the words ‘We Work Toward The Light By Hiding In The Dark’ flashing underneath it.

They presumed to come to his home, _his territory_ and try to deface him? He knew someone would come, but to mock him? To try and make a _fool_ of him?!

Victor stood so fast that his chair flew back, slamming into the glass of the floor-to-ceiling window that took up a large part of his office. He didn’t hear it crack, but turned, ready to kick the chair until it flew out the window-

His office phone rang and the rage in his chest settled in his stomach when he turned, picked up the phone and snapped into the phone, “ _What?!_ ”

Bob jumped at Victor’s tone, but tried not to show it, “Mr. Masters, sir…Jacobs is here and requests to come up; he mentioned he had a call from headquarters and thought you might need more information-“

“Jacobs,” Victor hissed, “You tell that sniveling-“

“Sir, he spoke about Norton,” Bob couldn’t stop the words from coming out of his throat and he regretted them instantly when he heard the still silence on the other side of the phone.

“…Sir?” Bob spoke again after an extended moment of silence; a part of him thought Victor had dropped the phone or hung up, but before Bob could disconnect, Victor was speaking again.

“Is he still standing there with you?”

“I-what? No, he went toward the stairwell-“

“If he comes back, send him up, please,” The eerie calm in Victor’s voice struck a chord of fear in Bob and he nodded, even as he answered into the phone.

“Yes, sir, right away…”

Victor opened his mouth before swallowing and letting a smile cross his face, “Also, there’s a clip on Videotube of someone spying on your squads in the parking garage, you had better-“

Before Victor could continue, there was a sound like a cannon coming through the phone and shouting.

“Shit are those _spears?_ ”

“Fire, fire!”

“Don’t let them pass!”

Victor froze, even as he felt the floor beneath his feet tremble from something hitting the foundation of the building. He pulled the phone back and stared at the receiver, even as more noise came through it. Another email ping caught his eye and when he reached down to click on it, the email was completely empty with the subject line filled in this time:

_You’re going down._

~*~

“Did you send him the link?” Undyne breathed toward Calin, blinking as she looked over his shoulder toward the screen of the laptop that he was typing furiously away on as they hid behind the first car on this level.

“Yeah, now hush, I gotta schedule this next email or it won’t spook the bastard…” Calin breathed back, trying not to draw attention to their hiding spot even as he saw members of their group settling in their own hiding spots. Asgore and another larger monster were waiting one level up, waiting for the fighting to begin before showing themselves.

“Ash, is the advance party ready to make a break for the elevator?” Calin glanced at his older twin.

“As soon as you put away that laptop, yeah,” Ash answered, “Asgore elected to stay down here with the rest of the fighters…it’s just you, Undyne, Sans, Inker, Gabbie and me going up.”

Calin nodded and glanced toward Saoirse, who was staring hard toward the security officer who was standing in front of the door they needed open.

“Any word on how-“

“just leave that part to me, kiddo,” Sans broke in, already knowing what Calin would ask, “are you ready?”

“Go!”

The first wave of fighters—all monsters—stood and threw their first magical attacks, causing chaos to erupt in this level of the parking garage. Undyne’s spears were flying in every direction and as soon as Asgore rumbled down from the floor above, everything was fire, spears, electricity and more fire.

“Fire, fire!” one of the security officers was rolling on the floor, trying to put himself out.

“Get back in formation,” Bob was trying to yell over the chaos, but his face paled when he saw a skeletal head of what looked like a horned demon from hell materialized in front of him, looking at the door behind him.

Before he could even think to stand his ground, he saw the energy start to build in the thing’s mouth and he scrambled away even as the energy blast tore open the door and the wall, leaving the entire building shaking above them.

“Holy SHIT-“

“Take cover! TAKE COVER!”

“Fuck, RETREAT!”

“STAND YOUR GROUND!”

It only took the small number of them remaining—10, including Asgore, RG 01 and RG 02, Saoirse and a mix of humans and monsters—to keep the chaos moving as the rest of them tore toward the door at a full run, dodging and ignoring anyone dumb enough to take their eyes away from the attacking group of Agents and Resistance fighters.

“They’re getting through!” Someone yelled.

“Focus or you’re dead, moron!” Another person answered, and guns began to fire.

Inker clung to Ash’s back, trying not to think about the specs of a handgun, or the speed and damage that it was capable of while their group ducked into the room and into the gold-tinted metal doors of the elevator.

Their group panted from the dead sprint they had just done, none of them talking about the possibility of what could be happening now that they were gone from the rest of their group.  
Gabbie swallowed thickly and took a deep breath before she said, “My father might know that we’re on the way up…”

The rest of them froze, before Ash snapped, “What do you mean?”

“If he’s in the kitchen or his office, he’ll see that the elevator is on its way up, there’s no way he won’t notice that,” Gabbie snapped back.

“Why didn’t you mention this earlier?” Calin rubbed his face.

“Would it have mattered? We still had to use the elevator,” Inker grumbled, “The only time that it would have been annoying is if the child would have waited until just before the doors opened to say something.”

The rest of them glanced at each other; Inker wasn’t wrong.

“Fine, but next time let’s know that _before_ we get into the elevator,” Ash crossed her arms.

“Oh yeah, definitely; next time we find ourselves sneaking up into a CEO’s private penthouse in order to save a friend and start a revolution, we’ll make sure we get those types of details,” Undyne chuckled, elbowing Ash and making the woman snort in return.

Sans tried not to fidget, but the elevator seemed to move at a snail’s pace as it moved up to the top floor of the apartment building. You and Papyrus were so close, they just had to get Masters out of the way, and he’d get you and Papyrus back—nothing would stop him now, even if he had to drag the bastard into the void to do it.

~*~

Victor saw the light on his desk, telling him that the private elevator was in use. His eyes shot up to look down the hall, but he couldn’t see the kitchen from this vantage point. His mind raced with what he could possibly do, how he could possibly win…

A growl left his chest before he slammed the phone down and picked it back up in order to dial another number.

“Get my helicopter here, _now_ ,” He spat into the phone before dropping the receiver, no longer caring where it ended up. First, he needed to get away. To fight another day, as it were.

He chuckled, leaning against the wall in the hallway while he controlled himself.

Then a thought struck him. He already had the know-how for controlling monsters; he could do that at any time he wished and could do it even if he ended up with nothing. He could gain it all back in time…

Another chuckle left him, but his eyes locked onto the metal door that he hadn’t opened since the night before; there was one more test to perform and he had his test subject.

Victor tore the lock off after putting in the code and flipped the light switch on as he threw the door open.

Mettaton was currently holding Papyrus against a wall while you stood a few feet back, ready to try anything to save Papyrus. The two of you looked toward Victor as he entered, but Victor’s mind moved faster; he didn’t care how or why the collar was off of Mettaton, all he needed was you.

“Papyrus,” Victor growled, “Kill that damned robot and take care of anybody who tries to follow me.”

Before Mettaton could react, Papyrus forced a group of bones to thrust from the ceiling and the metal monster had to duck, letting go of Papyrus in the process. You let out a short scream and put your hands to your mouth.

“Mettaton! Are you ok?” You tried to move forward, but something caught your hair and you screamed again.

Victor didn’t even have to tug on you to get you to move. His grip was iron and his strength was overwhelming; he nearly pulled you off the floor just moving you toward the metal doorway. You struggled, you tried to pull away.

“Stop _struggling_!”

Your head met the metal of the door and stars lit up behind your eyes. The room spun and you felt you might be sick, but your feet stumbled along as Victor pulled on you. You heard him slam another door open somewhere down the hall, yelling into it.

“Get in the kitchen,” He snapped, “Anyone comes out of the elevator, kill them!”

You didn’t’ hear a response, and you couldn’t swivel your head to look into the room. Despite this, a growing anxiety filled your stomach as Victor continued to yank you through the kitchen toward a plain looking door that you hadn’t noticed before.

A small noise came from the kitchen, and when you looked, you could see the elevator doors start to slide open.

Your voice left your throat, “SANS!”

Sans’s head snapped in your direction and you saw the pinpricks of light in his eyes disappear. A group of people left the elevator, but most of their eyes were drawn to you. You saw Undyne, Gabbie and Inker, but you didn’t recognize the others; still, your heart swelled to see them before a crushing thought hit you.

“You have to get to Mettaton, through the hall!” You tried to pull away from Victor, and felt him growl, “Papyrus-“

Shooting pain and vivid darkness were your reward when Victor yanked your hair and his fist collided with the side of your head; you weren’t unconscious, but it was a near thing and it turned your stomach again as you were yanked and pulled, but you no longer knew which way was up.

Sans’s eye flashed blue and he threw his arm up, trying to catch Victor’s soul, but both you and he swept through the doorway before he could catch them.

“get back here!” Sans darted forward, dodging around furniture as he headed for the door.

Gabbie hurried after Sans, screaming, “Be careful!”

Undyne turned the other direction, “That means we’re on Mettaton and Papyrus duty! Let’s find th-“

Before she could finish her sentence, a large rock headed for her head and she had to duck, bringing Calin with her, so he wouldn’t be hit when it passed by her head.

“Yer gettin good, youngin.”

The voice made both Undyne and Inker freeze before everyone finally saw who was now standing at the mouth of the hallway you had pointed down.

Gerson—thinner, paler, _Gerson_ \--was standing before them.

“Gerson!” Undyne straightened, taking a step toward him, “Holy shit, Gerson, you old geezer! Is that really y-“

Inker leaped onto Undyne and forced her to stop, “Don’t, child…something is wrong, look!”

The glasses on Inker’s face were shoved onto Undyne’s and the fish woman growled before he caught sight of what Inker was talking about.

“Wh…what, but how…” Undyne started to stammer, even as Inker took her glasses back, “Did that bastard do that to you, old man!?”

“Don’t rightly know what ya mean, squirt,” Gerson chuckled, but Undyne could already feel an aura around him as he prepared his magic again, “Haven’t felt this good in, oh…number a’years.”

A growl left Undyne, but when she had to dodge another boulder, a lot of steam left her.

“I…I can’t…” Undyne swallowed hard before Inker talked over her.

“You go and help the others,” Inker didn’t take her eyes off of Gerson, “Ash, you stay to help me, I don’t move like I used to.”

Ash moved closer and let Inker move to her shoulder, even as Calin started to pull Undyne away from where there was going to be a fight.

Gerson focused on Inker, his eyes following her like a man in the desert following a mirage, “So yer still alive, huh?”

Inker swallowed, her hand dipping into one of the three fanny packs on her waist, “I’m not sure why you would think I died, Gerson…but you know I can’t let you hurt anyone.”

“Ya say ya hafta do a lot of things, old girl,” Gerson watched Inker carefully, “Jus’ like when we was young an’ dumb.”

“Yeah…just like then,” Inker pressed her lips together before she pulled out a small metal orb and threw it toward the old turtle.

He jumped to one side, avoiding it like an attack before turning his eyes back to her, “An’ jus’ what was that?”

Inker hesitated, refusing to look toward the hallway for a few moments before she finally spoke.

“It was my way of getting you to let those two past you into the hall,” Inker said, “And I’ll warn you now, Gerson…if you turn your back to follow, I’ll dust you.”

Ash swallowed, glancing up at Inker; she wasn’t sure which was more worrisome; the fact that Ash didn’t know if Inker was bluffing, or the fact that Inker didn’t sound like she was.

Gerson chuckled, “Always did prioritize things ahead o’ me, didn’t ya Inky?”

Inker took a slow breath, “You know I didn’t have a choice as the Royal Scientist…”

A boulder appeared over them and Ash jumped out of the way in time to hear the wood of the floor splinter and crack.

“Ain’t a one o’ ya from th’ Underground I can trust anymore,” Gerson growled, “Masters taught me that.”

“Masters lied to you!” Inker screamed before Ash had to dodge another boulder.

“You have to attack back, or something!” Ash bit out, “We can’t just keep being sitting ducks!”

“We…” Inker stopped before her face fell, “Alright…alright.”

Inker reached into her fanny pack again and called out, “Give up, Gerson! Or I’ll start to take this seriously!”

“Jus’ go an’ die,” Gerson growled.

“Then so be it,” Inker forced the tears from her eyes and silently bid her old lover goodbye before she started to reciprocate Gerson’s attacks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open! (We’re almost at 100 followers, guys!)


	47. Le Bras Est Parti

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ** WARNING: **   
>  ** Character Death, Violence **
> 
>  
> 
> Heyya~
> 
> WE REACHED 100 FOLLOWERS ON TUMBLR, LOVELIES~
> 
> As a celebration, I've decided to do a Character Ask Me Anything! Any character who has appeared in this story is eligible for answering questions! All of the rules and such are going to be through [This Link Here](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/post/147085319881/100-follower-event-d)~
> 
> I love all the conversations I read between you lovelies, you're so kind to one another!

Gingler felt something stir in the back of her head and she sat up a little straighter.

“Hey, Gaster?” She glanced at the monster beside her, “I think something’s happening in your timeline…”

Gaster turned to face her, his head tilting, “How can you tell?”

“I…I don’t know,” Gingler said slowly, “It’s more of a…feeling than anything.”

He hesitated, but nodded, reaching out to take her head, “Then I will guide you again.”

Gingler offered him a small smile before she closed her eyes and let Gaster guide the magic of her soul toward his timeline.

She hissed when a wave of information hit her head and she nearly let go of Gaster’s hand.

“What is it? What happened?” Gaster’s hand was on her shoulder.

“I…I don’t know,” Gingler whimpered, “I…I just know…Lyris needs to get to Papyrus soon, there is fighting going on _everywhere_ and…Sans…Sans is going after Masters, I think Sans is going to kill Masters.”

Gingler felt breathless, and Gaster could feel a slight tremble in her body underneath his hand.

“Try to peer into the timeline again, Gingler,” Gaster encouraged quietly, “We must see what is happening.”

She hesitated. The wave of—whatever it was—had left her feeling weak and her head hurt worse than before, but Gaster was right. So, Gingler pulled together her courage and took a deep breath before closing her eyes and letting Gaster guide her magic again.

~*~

Lyris took two deep breathes and Jacobs could almost see what she was about to do.

“Are you crazy? Don’t-“

Before he could stop her, Lyris pushed the door open, and darted out into the fray of battle. Jacobs darted after her, ducking his head as he tried to keep himself from behind noticed, especially in his uniform.

Despite his worry, Jacobs was in awe when he realized that not a single person noticed them. It was as if there was a window of opportunity that only Lyris knew about and she was taking it. Jacobs shook his head, but still slipped into the elevator after her, ignoring the sound of someone yelling about the elevator leaving again.

Lyris glanced at him, “Ah…”

“I want to help, I promise,” Jacobs said, “Masters is crazy and now that all of this is hitting the fan…well…guess it’s time for me to show my true colors, eh?”

He offered her a smile, but it was uneasy.

Lyris nodded slowly, “I understand.”

~*~

Undyne and Calin had darted into the hallway as soon as Inker had cleared it for them, and it was only a second before they both realized they needed to move to the metal door near the middle of the hallway.

They could see the flashing of lights and hear the metallic cries.

“Mettaton!” Undyne jumped through the door, spear in hand, but froze when she saw who Mettaton was fighting.

Papyrus didn’t even flinch when Undyne came into the room; he was on a relentless assault against Mettaton, a bone in hand and more flying toward Mettaton in a relentless attack of magic. Mettaton was barely dodging and blocking, his body already scuffed and broken to show the amount of damage that Papyrus had already done.

“P-Papyrus,” Undyne swallowed, before glaring, “No! Not like Gerson! You’re both gunna wake up from this _BULLSHIT_!”

Without hesitating, Undyne jumped into the fray, moving in front of Mettaton. Mettaton’s white soul looked so cracked that Undyne was sure that the robot didn’t have much HP left. Standing her ground, Undyne’s own soul sprang from her chest and a green shield appeared, stopping the bones that Papyrus was flinging.

Calin glanced between Papyrus and Undyne, using the advantage of Papyrus’s unwavering focus in order to think. The tall skeleton was infected with some kind of soul juice from Masters? Ok, and Mettaton mentioned that there was still some of Papyrus left, so how could Calin use that?

“What the hell is going on?” Undyne snapped, but she dropped into a fighting stance nonetheless, “Old geezer Gerson is out in the living room fighting Inker!”

Mettaton sank to his knees, trying to breathe before he answered, “That human, Masters…he injected a part of his own soul into theirs! He was trying to take over them from the inside out so he didn’t have to use the collars anymore, darling!”

Undyne grit her teeth, “So Pap…”

“Papy-dear still has some of his soul white, but…” Mettaton looked close to tears, but he finally stood up again, “It hasn’t stopped him from following orders; it’s as if he isn’t there at all.”

A pit opened in Undyne’s stomach and she swallowed again, “I…if I drop this shield, Paps is gunna mow us down.”

Mettaton nodded solemnly, “I…I don’t know how to help him.”

“Well, we have to try something,” Undyne grit her teeth before she glanced over at Mettaton, “Ready to try the ‘knocking some sense into him’ route?”

Mettaton nodded and prepared himself for the battle, watching as Papyrus’s own soul—which was still deep purple with the white swirling inside of it—freed itself from his ribcage. Undyne nodded and gripped her spear tighter, waiting for a break in the barrage of attacks. As soon as she had an opening, the shield dropped as she sprang forward, a wave of spears appearing behind her as she moved.

Mettaton jumped to the right and followed up by attaching small robotic bombs to each spear. Papyrus had no choice but to dodge each spear; if he left them hit the green shield that appeared by standing his ground, they would blow up in his face.

Calin had to move to avoid the new wave of attacks as Papyrus tried to hit two moving targets, but Calin could see that Papyrus’s eyes were unfocused and glazed over. The soul in front of his chest swirled with the two colors—the purple seeming to try and attack the white; the white was holding on, but even Calin could see that it was slowly being chipped away to nothing.

“Papyrus!” Calin called, being careful not to step close enough for his soul to leave his chest, “Papyrus, everyone is here to save you! You can’t give in to Masters’s darkness, not when you’re so close to being safe!”

There was a hesitation in Papyrus’s movements, before his attacks resumed and Calin grit his teeth, dodging stray bones and waiting for both Undyne and Mettaton to move in sync again before he yelled again.

“Papyrus! Sans and Undyne are here to take you home! No more pain! Come on, fight back!”

It should have worked; it should have made him hesitate, should have made him easier to bring down so Undyne and Mettaton could restrain him, so they could try and help him without worrying about their safety…but it didn’t work.

It went horribly, horribly wrong.

Instead of hesitating, Papyrus steeled himself. His right eye suddenly flared up bright orange. A skeletal head of some kind of feline hellcat appeared. Undyne and Mettaton froze, staring at the horrifying creature. The energy that started to gather in its mouth forced Mettaton to process what he was seeing. He grabbed Undyne.

Just as the blast when off, Mettaton pushed Undyne away, but not fast enough.

Calin screamed, covering his eyes from the bright orange blast and feeling the building shake around him. When he uncovered his eyes, there was a hole in the back of the room, which opened up to a 60 foot drop, straight down to the road. At the edge of the drop, Mettaton’s body—or what was left, which was only the chest and head—was laying on its side, all life gone from his eyes.

The feeling of needing to vomit rose up in Calin’s throat, but his eyes saw something move in the rubble. Undyne pushed out of the debris, but her body seemed lopsided, and her balance was off.

He rushed to her side, but before he could offer her a hand to help her up, he froze and his stomach dropped.

“Undyne…You…Your arm!”

Undyne looked up at him dazed, her eyes unregistering before she turned her head to look at the place where her left arm should have been…except, it wasn’t there.

Her arm was completely gone, and the rest of her body started to feel strange, “I…I can’t…I feel like I’m going to fall apart…”

Her voice sounded far away, almost flighty and Calin dropped to his knees to pull out the small bit of Monster Food he had the mind to bring and forced Undyne to eat. It made her body solidify, and her eyes droop, but Calin tried to keep her awake.

“No, no! Papyrus isn’t down yet! C’mon, don’t fall asleep…” Undyne nearly fell against him, even as she struggled for consciousness.

Calin thanked the fates for small favors when she managed to sit up on her own, but she nearly lost her balance again before steadying herself. Her eyes turned to Papyrus, who was standing at the other end of the room, just staring at them.

Before either of them could do or say anything, a new monster appeared in the doorway.  
Undyne and Calin glanced at her, but didn’t take their gaze away from Papyrus for too long.

Lyris only took one sweep of the room, but when her eyes landed on Papyrus and she saw the swirling colors of his soul, she darted forward, putting herself between Papyrus and the two in the debris.

“Papyrus,” She breathed a hand coming to her chest, “Papyrus this isn’t you…”

The white in Papyrus’s heart had all but disappeared.

“Don’t bother, I already tried talking to him!” Calin called, but froze when he saw that the swirling slowed and the small bit of white remained, “What…?”

“You know that what Masters has done to your soul is wrong,” Lyris stepped forward, but only one step, “I can feel your soul rebelling and fighting, and even now the strength and integrity of your soul has kept you from submitting, kept you from breaking apart…”

Papyrus’s body sagged a little, as if he suddenly felt weighed down.

“Hold out a little longer, Papyrus!” Lyris took another step, “Listen to my voice and hold out for one more moment, always just one more moment!”

A spark of light pushed against the purple inside of his soul and everything held still.

~*~

Ash let out a short scream when a boulder hit her in the stomach and flipped her over the back of the couch; Inker flapped her wings, staying in the air, but when she tried to move to check on the young human, Gerson let out another assault on her.

“Masters has poisoned your mind, you old geezer!” Inker was frustrated, and couldn’t land for fear of being hit, and thus couldn’t reach any of her attacks which were in her fanny pack, “You and I ended our relationship on good terms; we had an understanding!”

“Then ya went and got all involved with that skeleton!” Gerson’s magic didn’t waver and all Inker could guess was that it was the part of his soul that was Masters, “All cozied up in that lab!”

Inker knew Gerson wasn’t thinking right—knew that it was the tainted human perseverance that was clouding his vision, but it didn’t stop her from growling out against him.

“Whatever happened between Gaster and I is none of your business,” Inker dove behind the couch and sighed, letting her old wings rest a moment while she checked over Ash.

The human didn’t have any serious injuries, but a bump to the head had knocked her brain around a little. Inker pulled out a small flask and had Ash drink a little from it, which seemed to rouse her.

“Ugh, that tastes like lukewarm seawater…” Ash shook her head, her face looking a little green from the taste.

“Sea tea will do that, when it isn’t fresh and piping hot,” Inker answered, “You’ll need to stay down here while you recover; that old coot is getting on my last nerve.”

“He’s so strong, I can’t keep up,” Ash swallowed hard, “What are we going to do?”

“I dunno,” Inker rubbed her eyes, “I’m not the kind of monster who’s great in a fight.”

She paused, hearing Gerson’s footsteps getting louder.

“Just stay here until you are a little better,” Inker breathed, “Then try to head back for the elevator or something; Gerson’s too much for me.”

Before Ash could protest, Inker dove into the air again, barely dodging a line of large stones being thrown after her; despite her age, she was still spry enough to dodge.

“Git back here!” Gerson growled.

“Suck a Froggit!” Inker growled back.

The whole building shook then and Inker nearly fell out of the air when she felt saw the magical energy in the next room.

“Oh, my…”

Before Gerson or Inker could react, the elevator doors slid open and a human man and a monster women stepped out. The woman didn’t spare the room another glance before she hurried through the kitchen and down the hallway, toward where Papyrus and the others were.

The man froze in the kitchen looking between Gerson and Inker before he ducked when Gerson threw a rock at him.

Inker dove to land on the man’s shoulder.

“I recognize you,” Inker panted, “You’re Jacobs, right?”

“Yeah,” Jacobs peaked over his hiding spot before ducking again, “That’s me…what do you need?”

“To stall Gerson, and I’m running on empty,” Inker admitted, “Any more and I’ll definitely get hit by one of his magic attacks and then boom, bye bye Inker.”

Jacobs had to dive behind the island to dodge another attack and Inker clung to him.

“Shit, fine…” Jacobs took a deep breath and stood, moving to continuously dodge while Inker went back on the offensive.

Gerson didn't seem bothered by the new human that joined the fray; his attacks didn't let up, and his soul stayed just as dark. Inker swallowed even as she returned with her own volley of attack so; was it even possible to save Gerson anymore? What state would his soul be in?

Inker felt Jacobs trip and flew into the air, hoping to distract Gerson while Jacobs recovered, but Gerson didn't even spare her a glance.

Gerson hurled a few sharpened rocks--something reminiscent of stalagmites--and Inker tried to fly back down, but she was too late.

The scream of pain from Jacobs echoed in the penthouse and Ash poked her head over the couch. Jacobs had been speared through the stomach and right leg.

Even only having a small amount of knowledge about human physiology, Inker knew Jacobs was in serious trouble and not just because Gerson was standing over Jacobs--Ash looked terrified before a look of pure rage took over her face like a hurricane takes over a city: slowly and then all at once.

“Over here, you hard boiled egg!”

Gerson turned his head just in time to be pelted in the face by a couch pillow. He managed to offer the small ceramic statue that came next, but decorative metal plate caught him in the chest.

Inker tried to get around Gerson to get to Jacobs, but the old turtle managed to send an attack at both Inker and Ash, sending both women scattering.

Jacobs groggily watched the situation, but pain clouded his mind and his drive; everything started to swim. A look down and he could guess why: the wound in his stomach wasn't bad, it didn't seem to be bleeding hardly at all, but his left...His leg was already soaked with blood and more was oozing out at an alarming rate.

He sank back against the wall behind him, and watched as blood already started to pool underneath him.

This was it for him; this was a hell of a way to go…

Jacobs felt tears sting his eyes, but he chuckled bitterly. _Of course_ this would be how he died...but...this, this was worth dying for, right?

Right?

~*~ 

Your head pounded as your feet stumbled up a flight of stairs and then another.

“Quit dragging your feet,” Victor hissed before pulling you through a door. The sun was shining brightly overhead and that made your head pound worse, “Where is that damn helicopter?”

You shook yourself, trying to force yourself to focus, and it worked to a degree. The pounding in your head didn’t stop, but you stopped seeing double and the feeling that you wanted to throw up started to fade.

“Let go, you hellwhore!” You tugged at his hand and hissed when it tightened in your hair.

“Shutup,” Victor growled.

“No!” You growled back, digging your nails into his arm, “I won’t shut up, you…you fruitloop! You’re crazy! It’s no wonder Gabbie ran away, you hellwhore!”

Victor froze, but you let all the fear and frustration pour out of you, “How dare you mess with other’s souls like that?? Karma’s a bitch and it’ll come for you! It’ll come and hunt you down like the horrible person you are! You’re the most abhorrent thing I have ever had the misfortune of seeing! You are the most pointless being I have ever come across! You are nothing but a black hole that sucks up and extinguishes the light of others for no real reason!”

You panted as you finished, your body trembling, but you still tried to pull away. Victor didn’t lose his grip on you, but it took a moment for him to respond.

“I believe ‘fruitloop’ is probably the most demeaning thing you said,” Victor said calmly before he started to laugh. His body shook from the laughter and fear pooled in your stomach again. You tried to pull away, struggle, anything to make him stop laughing, but it wasn’t until the door to the roof slammed open that Victor’s laughter was cut off and he turned toward the sound of a door being thrown open.

You winced as he dragged you between himself and whoever had thrown the door open. Relief flooded you when you saw it was Sans and Gabbie.

“wrong move, buddy,” Sans said darkly, but Gabbie walked in front of him before he could react.

“Daddy, stop this!” Gabbie’s hands were in fists.

“The prodigal daughter, returned from gallivanting off with the dredge of society,” Victor spat, “Tell me, is your whore mother with the Resistance too, or was she at least smart enough to stay away?”

“Don’t talk about her that way!” Gabbie spat before taking another step forward, “Let that poor woman go and stop this, please daddy…”

Victor took a step back and you were pulled along.

Sans stepped forward, “don’t kid yourself, gabbie; he’s not gunna stop.”

Before he could start the battle, Victor pulled out a syringe and held it up obviously, “Ah ah! If you pull her soul out, I’ll inject the whole of this directly into her soul…can you guess what it is?”  
Victor didn’t give them a chance to wonder, “It’s a piece of my own soul; I’ve been injecting it into monsters for weeks now with varying results, but I’ve never tried it on another human. Want to study the results with me?”

He chuckled and you whimpered, glancing over to see the needle dangerously close to your skin and you tried to lean away.

Gabbie gasped and put her hands up to her mouth, but Sans didn’t flinch; his blue glowing eye watched the two of you carefully, watching and waiting. Sans’s chance came when the whole building shook hard enough for Victor to nearly loose his grip on the needle.

You took the opportunity when Victor nearly lost his grip on you to save the needle to stomp on his foot and then twist to elbow him in the stomach. His grip all but disappeared in your hair and you leapt away, landing on your hands and knees before you crawled away quickly.

Victor tried to follow, but froze when a skull appeared in his way; the skull had glowing blue eyes and was animalistic, with razor fangs and a glowing orb of energy in its mouth that was slowly growing bigger.

A bright glowing purple soul escaped Victor’s chest and he gasped.

“Sans, don’t!” Gabbie covered her mouth and turned away.

You glanced at Victor and your eyes widened.

Sans grit his teeth and refused to back down.

Time crawled to a stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	48. Two Gone To Heaven, Another One Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> The Character AMA is still happening over on tumblr (You can find all the info and rules [HERE](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/post/147085319881/100-follower-event-d)). The basics that you need to know are:
> 
> **Rules!**  
>  -Any Character that has appeared in Hell is a Place on the Surface can be asked a question! (I will answer questions directed toward me, but please focus on the characters :3)  
> -There WILL NOT be any spoilers for either the end of HIAPOTS or its sequel!  
> -PLEASE keep the questions PG-13, as this is a SFW blog (suggestiveness is allowed, but all answers will either be censored or will avoid any X-rated or NSFW content  
> -HAVE FUN! Ask as many questions as you want!
> 
> You can leave an ask if you have a tumblr, or leave a comment here on AO3 with your questions! The characters will create a post to answer your question and I will reply to your comment with a direct link to the answer!
> 
> This is going to be a lot of work for me, as I will try to post a sketched picture with each answer (no promises, especially for questions that are directed at multiple characters). I want this to be a celebration for us having reached 100 followers for this blog! I didn’t do it, its all you lovelies who have chipped your count! I couldn’t do this without all of your support!
> 
> THANK YOU!

Sans unleashed his blaster, his blue eye blazing like a wildfire, and watched as the energy engulfed Victor and his soul. Sans focused his senses, wanting to feel the moment that Victor’s soul shattered...but then a feeling overshadowed everything; his senses, his mind, his soul….

Then it was gone. The feeling and Victor’s soul were completely gone, vanished into thin air.

You--who had covered your head when the blast went off--slowly say up and looked at the scorch mark on the floor where Victor had been standing. Relief and guilt washed over you in equal measures, while you stood. Your knees shook and your stomach twisted, and you had to swallow to keep bile down.

Then you started to cry.

You swallowed hard, trying to control yourself, but the tears wouldn't stop and your shaking just got harder. Gabbie fell to her knees, staring at the scorched roof and took a long shaky breath, her eyes and heart dry.

Sans rushed to your side—ignoring the rage of fire in his stomach at having Victor’s soul just _disappear_ \--an arm immediately circling your waist and his opposite hand coming up to touch your face.

“hey, hey, i gotcha...i gotcha,” Sans almost breathed, his thumb wiping tears.

You shook your head, took two deep breathes and swallowed, “P-Papyrus n-needs you...I...I'll be fine.”

Gabbie finally roused herself, “I'll stay with her, Sans; Papyrus is in a bad way, go!”

Sans only hesitated long enough to make sure you were standing on your own before he turned and faded from existence, teleporting inside.

You waited a few more seconds before you collapsed, knees hitting the ground and shuddering sobs leaving you. You had been terrified, unable to think and now you were safe...and all you felt was guilt because of how relieved you were that Victor was now dead.

Gabbie knelt next to you, her arms reaching around you to pull you into a hug and let you cry. Her own eyes, however, were dry, as was her heart of any feelings for her father--for Victor. He was gone, and all that was left was a broken legacy, and a broken daughter.

~*~

One moment, Gerson was throwing attacks and blocking Inker and Ash from getting to Jacobs, the next moment he was kneeling on the ground clutching his chest like he'd been struck by some heavy blow.

Inker glanced at Ash, to see if the human woman had managed to connect an attack, but Ash was giving her a similar glance. Inker readjusted her glasses and gasped before she hit the ground, _hard_. Her glasses went sliding across the floor, but she was already crawling toward Gerson on her hands and knees.

Ash managed to grab the glasses, but she eyed Gerson warily while she slipped around the two monsters to get to Jacobs. The turtle looked like he was in absolute anguish, pain overtaking his features. 

Ash focused on Jacobs, but the man had already lost consciousness; the amount of blood that was on the floor around him made Ash’s stomach turn and all ash could do was try to feel for a pulse…

But Jacobs was already gone.

Ash pressed her lips together before she turned to watch Inker and Gerson; Ash didn't trust this weakness he was showing. It wasn't until Inker had turned him over and started to pull out his soul that she started to soften, but only enough not to dust Gerson immediately.

Ash had glimpsed the soul many times over during the fight, but anytime it started to rise out of his chest, he had forced it back in, sometimes physically.

Now it floated gently over Gerson’s chest. It was still a deep purple, but it was quickly losing hue and saturation, fading to a gray before it stopped and started to shutter almost violently.

Gerson hacked and coughed, making Ash jump, but Inker seemed frantic.

“You old bastard,” the bat shook from her place next to Gerson, “Attacking us like that and now you’re dying without an apology…”

Despite her angry words, Ash thought she could hear Inker about to cry.

Gerson tried to talk, coughed, and then finally spoke, “Ya deserved it, ya old bat.”

They both chuckled, though Ash could only raise an eyebrow.

“If I'm able to speak freely,” Gerson closed his eyes for a moment, “Masters musta bit that last bullet; th’ bastard’s as crazy as they come and then some.”

Inker nodded, though it would be a long while before she would see the extent of Masters mania, “What happened, Gers?”

“He tainted me with a bit o’ his soul, that one,” Geron opened his eyes, but Inker and Ash could see the way they were glazed over, “I expect any monster done this way’ll probably be dust in a few minutes...I don't think I wanna last longer’n that, anyway…”

“Why?” Ash asked suddenly, worry laced in her voice.

Gerson coughed again and Inker leaned closer, “Why, Gerson?”

“Cause his kind o’ taint takes over, changes the way ya think and feel,” His voice lost a little power and Ash let out a small scream when Sans suddenly appeared and ran past them and into the hallway, “-goes away, Inky.”

“What? Inker leaned forward, putting her ear closer to Gerson's mouth.

“ _It never goes away_.”

By the time Inker pulled away, Gerson's eyes were closed and his body was withering away to dust.

Inker couldn’t even bring herself to tears.

~*~

As if a the tides finally began to shift, Lyris saw that purple of Victor’s taint started to lose its rich color; the purple faded, and started to turn almost gray, but instead of it staying that way the white of Papyrus’s soul began to take hold and take over.

Lyris swallowed and watched as the colors shifted and moved, the gray intermingling with the white to form some off-color shade that left a pit in her stomach even as she felt relief to see that he was coming out of whatever torment he’d been in, trapped in his own body the way he was.

Papyrus fell to his knees as he regained some sense of control over his own limbs again, but he couldn’t focus for a long moment. All he heard were the echoed words of a voice he didn’t know-- _’Listen to my voice and hold out for one more moment, always just one more moment!’_ \--all he felt was the warmth of his own magic against his skin.

When his eyes finally adjusted, he drew in a deep breath. There was a huge hole in the wall in front of him that opened up a view of the city around and below. The sun was still high in the sky, making the nightmare that was around him just moments ago seem so...distant. So unreal. His eyes strayed to the side when he caught the sight of something--Undyne. Undyne was groggily hunched over near a human Papyrus had never seen before, but there was something off. Something was wrong with Undyne and-

Oh merciful Asgore, did Papyrus really…?

He felt sick as the memories flooded his mind; kidnapping monsters, acting out untold violence on humans and monsters in equal measures, repeatedly hurting Mettaton, attacking Undyne, injuring her enough to take her arm, and now…

Papyrus’s eyes strayed over toward the pink and black chest that used to be Mettaton and felt his body tremble when he could sense no magic coming from the robotic torso. Mettaton had lost power before--that was a surprisingly common occurrence before they were all separated six months after reaching the surface because of the power consumption needs of his EX form--but Papyrus could always still feel the magic that made up Mettaton’s soul.

But looking at his body…

Orange tears appeared, and despite being free--finally _free_ \--of Victor and of the monster collar, Papyrus sank lower, his eyes switching slowly between Undyne and Mettaton and the distance between was left for every other act he’d been forced to commit.

If he’d only fought harder against the monster collar, if only he could have pushed back against Victor’s soul…

“Papyrus?”

The voice from before, the one that made him hold on-- _”Always just one more moment”_ \--entered his ears and Papyrus’s whole body tensed while his eyes snapped to the monster now standing in front of him, looking down at him.

Her gray-blue hair hung around her face, framing the gentle look of concern and her one eye, which watched him carefully. One of her hands came out slowly and gently trace the path of one of his tears before her voice--her soothing voice, the one that took the ache away when he heard it--entered his ears again.

“Papyrus, answer me,” She sounded worried, “Are you back to yourself?”

“I...y-yes,” Papyrus swallowed, dropping his gaze before slowly bringing it back up, “I...I don’t feel back up to being… _normal_ , but I...I don’t think…”

He was choking up already; the tears from what he had done, all the memories and the voices in his head. All the people and monsters who had begged with him to stop, Mettaton trying to reach him through the pain, Undyne wanting to knock some sense into him and now finding he had reacted violently enough to take _her arm_...

Lyris waited patiently for his wave of emotion before she asked again, “You don’t think…?”

Papyrus took another short breath before answering, “I...I don’t think there is any permanent damage to my soul…”

Papyrus couldn’t stop himself, his eyes moved back to Mettaton’s empty chassis and suddenly launched himself into Lyris’s arms, nearly knocking her over in the process. He was still on his knees, and even then his head still rested comfortably on her shoulder; he buried his face into the fabric of her dress. Lyris felt a small blush appear, but when Papyrus started to tremble, almost violently, she let her arms wrap around his shoulders.

Undyne swayed again, but seeing Papyrus even acting somewhat normal was better than what had been happening. Her mind and body were sore and tired, while her insides felt husked out and bare. Her uncovered eye glanced over toward where Mettaton lay lifeless and swallowed hard. There was no magic left in him, but he hadn’t turned to dust. A part of Undyne had a small hope that this was something Alphys could fix, but…

Calin helped the fish woman to her feet, but both of them froze when Sans suddenly rushed to the doorway, his eyes sweeping the two of them before they landed on Lyris and Papyrus.

“p-pap!”

Sans started for his brother, but when Papyrus pulled his head back to look at Sans, he launched himself in the opposite direction, shame and terror pooling in his soul while he covered his head, before words began to blurt out of his mouth.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to,” He said--he _pleaded_ \--to Sans, his eyes closed tightly and his body curled into itself as he tried to press even further away, “Don’t be ashamed, brother, please, I didn’t mean to, I couldn’t...I couldn’t stop…”

Sans froze, one hand extended before he dropped it to his side desperately searching Papyrus’s body language, hearing his words, and it all culminated into a pit of horror in him. Victor had done more than left a mark on Papyrus; Victor had left a permanent reminder that he was still winning stamped into his brother’s soul.

Lyris swallowed before she moved between Sans and Papyrus, facing the shorter brother. She opened her mouth to speak, but let out a shy squeak instead when he locked eyes with her.

“I...I know you mean well, Sans,” She swallowed, “B-but Papyrus needs _time_...”

She was interrupted when Papyrus wrapped his arms around her from behind and buried his face in her back, almost hiding behind her. Lyris jumped a little when he did this and Sans used the pause to ask.

“and just who are you?” Sans raised a bony eyebrow; she looked a little familiar to him, but he wondered if he’d ever be able to place her; the way Papyrus clung to her set him on edge and he narrowed his eyes.

Lyris swallowed again, opening her mouth to answer, but she hesitated again when Papyrus tightened his grip; she chose to ignore Sans for a moment--to the shorter skeleton’s annoyance--and gently spoke to the taller brother.

“Pap, I’m not going anywhere, I promise…” She gently ran a hand up and down the bones of his arm, “Just relax; it’ll be ok.”

Papyrus didn’t answer, but the way he loosened his grip--just a little, just enough for Lyris to know that he heard her--let her turn back to Sans.

“I...I’m Lyris,” She swallowed, trying to force herself to look Sans in the eye, but she dropped her gaze back to the ground, “I...well...There’s a lot to explain, I guess, but...I...I’m here to help Papyrus!”

The words poured out of her mouth before she even had time to think them, but in her soul she knew that they were the truth. The way Papyrus clung to her, the way his soul called out for stability and for _peace_ \--something not many other monsters in this timeline understood--she nodded to herself as if to reaffirm it.

Sans froze again, his eyes darting to lock with Lyris’s again, but she stood firm, easily meeting his gaze this time. Despite wanting to snap at this unknown monster, tell her to leave Papyrus to Sans, that as Papyrus’s brother, Sans would know what was best...he could see as easily as anyone the way Papyrus’s soul--which had been morphing colors to match his mood, and was a dull gray when Sans spoke--was finally, slowly, moving to a pure white of a healthy soul while in contact with Lyris.

Undyne had to lean into Calin, and directed the human to walk near Sans, “Let her help; we could use as much as we can.”

Sans took a short breath, looked at Papyrus again, and finally relented.

“come on and be careful with my brother,” Sans warned quietly. He moved to help, but when Papyrus shied away and refused to look at him, Sans took the hint and took a step back.

He felt guilt, anger, frustration, sadness and utter despair, watching Lyris help Papyrus from the room and patiently soothing the skeleton’s fears as they moved through the penthouse. The utter helplessness was the worst. Sans could do none of that. He couldn’t reassure or protect his brother’s feelings; Sans now had to depend on a monster he knew nothing about to take care of that now.

Sans’s mind was blessedly able to find distraction when he saw you and Gabbie coming down from the roof, the both of you supporting each other and once again looking extraordinarily like sisters.

“Thanks, Gabbie,” You murmured quietly before you pressed your lips together, “Are you really going to stay here and wait for the police?”

“I have to,” Gabbie answered, “They’re no doubt on their way and they need to hear the truth from someone; my running away was public, but my father never let it slip that he suspected I was with the Resistance...Jacobs was keen on keeping it that way, he-”

Gabbie froze, and it was a split second later that you saw why.

Inker was sitting next to a pile of dust, while Ash rubbed her back slowly, but you followed Gabbie’s gaze and saw Jacobs leaning against the wall, blood pooled and now thickening around him. He was pale and his eyes were half open and staring at nothing, but you felt the pit in your stomach whisper the word your mind was too horrified to grasp.

_Death._

Jacobs was dead.

Your throat tightened, but Gabbie absolutely let out a short shriek before hurrying to Jacobs’s side and fell to her knees; blood started to stain her clothes and skin, but she only had focus for Jacobs.

“Wh-what, no...no, no nonononoNO,” The tears that wouldn’t fall for her father suddenly appeared in torrents as she shook Jacobs, as if trying to wake him, “No, what did my father do? _What did he do to you!?_ ”

Sobs echoed in the room while others looked on sadly. You jumped when you felt someone touch your elbow, but your body relaxed when you saw it was Sans.

“we have to go, sweetheart,” Sans’s eyes were on Jacobs and Gabbie, but he still tugged you toward the elevator, where the others were waiting, “we can’t get stuck here…”

You nodded, but you couldn’t hardly take your eyes off of Gabbie as she sobbed over Jacobs’s body. A tight clench of your chest had your own eyes watering, but you let Sans lead you to the elevator.

“C’mon, we gotta go,” Ash said to Inker, pulling the bat up to her chest and carrying her toward the others.

Inker didn’t protest, but turned in Ash’s hold to watch the dust until the elevator doors closed.

~*~

The time after was a blur for you; reaching the parking garage and seeing the strange mix of dust and humans knocked to the ground. Someone was promising that none of the humans were dead, but you couldn’t focus on anything other than the feel of the heat from Sans’s magic coming from his body as he held you close, protecting you with his grip and protecting a monster you didn’t recognize and Papyrus with his words. You tried to keep focus, but your mind blanked and faded bits as you were loaded into a large panel van with Sans, Papyrus, Undyne, Calin, Ash, Inker and the monster you didn’t know--had Sans called her Lyris?--and Asgore, along with a woman you didn’t know, but who stared at you intently.

“We will be going back to the Agent hideout for the night,” Asgore said slowly, finally rousing you from your daze as he started to address you, “They have many monsters in need of their collars being removed...are you up to something of that nature?”

You blinked at him slowly, but put a hand on Sans’s shoulder when he started to protest.

“I’ll do what I can, but...is Frisk safe?”

“Frisk was left in the care of Dr. Alphys,” Asgore nodded, “They wanted to come and tried to force their way into this mess, but I would not allow it.”

You nodded and let your head hang, “Thank you, Asgore…”

Inker perked a little at the mention of more monster collars, the most movement she’d used in a long while before she turned and finally said something.

“How do their people still have collars on?” Inker looked either suspicious or curious, but with the way her eyes squinted, it was hard to tell.

Calin shrugged, “A few of us created disruptors, to keep them from dusting the monsters when they were marked missing.”

Inker wiggled out of Ash’s grip and neatly leapt into Calin’s lap, jostling him--and by extension Undyne, who growled at the bat--but watching him with interest.

“What do you mean disruptors?”

You zoned out of that conversation even as Calin started to explain the finer details of something you could never hope to understand. Your eyes instead landed on Lyris and Papyrus. The taller skeleton was curled into a ball, with Lyris in his lap almost like a teddy or some other type of security blanket, his face buried in the back of her shoulder as she gently ran a hand up and down his forearm.

“You’re Lyris, right?” You asked quietly, watching the way Papyrus tensed at the sound of your voice.

“Yes,” She said slowly before she said your name, “That’s who you are, right?”

You nodded, “Yeah, that’s me…”

There was a beat of silence while Lyris looked almost guilty before she spoke again.

“I’m...well, I feel a little intrusive, but I hope I can help with everything,” Lyris looked down as she said it, purposefully not looking around and particularly not at Sans, “I just...I wanted to help any way I could and before I knew it I was in the middle of everything…”

“Those good intentions always carry,” You interrupted her quiet ramble, “Wanting something bad enough is sometimes enough to change the path of fate itself.”

Lyris froze before her one eye looked up to catch your gaze. A small blush took her cheeks, but you saw a smile forming slowly.

“...thanks,” She answered, “Thank you, I mean…”

You nodded and leaned deeper into Sans’s hold. All you wanted was for today to be over, so sleep and--hopefully--peace could take you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	49. Peace in the Underground, Hell on the Surface

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyya~
> 
> The Character AMA is still happening over on tumblr (You can find all the info and rules [HERE](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/post/147085319881/100-follower-event-d)). The basics that you need to know are:
> 
> Rules!  
> -Any Character that has appeared in Hell is a Place on the Surface can be asked a question! (I will answer questions directed toward me, but please focus on the characters :3)  
> -There WILL NOT be any spoilers for either the end of HIAPOTS or its sequel!  
> -PLEASE keep the questions PG-13, as this is a SFW blog (suggestiveness is allowed, but all answers will either be censored or will avoid any X-rated or NSFW content  
> -HAVE FUN! Ask as many questions as you want!
> 
> You can leave an ask if you have a tumblr, or leave a comment here on AO3 with your questions! The characters will create a post to answer your question and I will reply to your comment with a direct link to the answer!
> 
> This is a shorter chapter (and next chapter isn't any longer, I'm sorry!) but we're wrapping up and preparing for the sequel! PLEASE pay attention to the author notes for next chapter! It will announce my new writing schedule and will give an estimated date for the release of the sequel!

In the time that followed the raid on Masters’s penthouse, everything had been flipped and turned on the Surface.

Multiple accounts of what happened--most false and painting monsters in terrible light--sprang up, while the police and government swooped in to try and resolve what happened. Many humans, fearing revolt of their ‘pets’ or ‘slaves’ chose to either sell them to government facilities, or research facilities; many more simply took their monster’s collar off, dusting them quickly, if not painlessly.

The official story that was released--thanks in a large part to the video that the Agents took, and the Resistance edited, and to Gabbie for staying behind to be found by the police--stated that Victor Masters had been using unauthorized company money to perform unethical and illegal experiments on monsters and the video was a failed attempt to move onto human testing. As a result, protestors--who ‘may or may not be affiliated with any underground movement’--stormed the building and Victor Masters has been missing ever since.

Gabbie had been asked by the Board of Directors at Master Technologies to consider taking her father’s place in the company as a courtesy--never having really meant it--but Gabbie took the offer immediately and her instatement as CEO was already starting to take place, though slowly.

The Resistance returned to functioning somewhat normally; more people were helping grow and make food, so the shortage was nearly past, homes were filling up and many families started to slowly be reunited.

Asgore was working fairly closely with Saoirse now, though they both agreed staying as a separate group was for the best at this time.

“They are able to be much more directly active,” Asgore would say if anyone asked, “Saoirse is a fine leader and cares for those under her; I have many monster families that need protection, so we both know this is the best course of action for now.”

Undyne had returned in rough shape; according to Alphys, you later learned, Undyne had been hours away from falling down and ultimately turning to dust.

“W-while losing s-small b-body p-parts, like e-eyes, e-ears or e-even g-gaining scars, isn’t h-hard on a m-monster,” The small dinosaur explained quietly, “l-losing an e-entire l-limb i-is u-usually a guarantee th-that m-monster w-will die.”

“Undyne seems to be doing ok,” You had answered while watching Undyne carefully move, still getting use to the balance of her body now that her arm was gone.

“U-Undyne i-is the s-strongest p-person I know!” Alphys had said enthusiastically, “A-and I-I think sh-she’ll j-just need t-time t-to a-adjust, is all.”

You both had purposefully avoided talking about Mettaton.

While all of you had retreated, none of you were able to carry what was left of Mettaton out of the building, but Gabbie had been kind enough to get it to the underground, via Zach; the man still made you uncomfortable, but the somber air had pushed that to the back of your mind. Inker had confirmed that Gerson--under the influence of Masters’s tainted soul--had killed the human before being turned to dust himself.

You took that particularly hard. Everyone had thought the old turtle dead--you had heard a gunshot and assumed it spelled the end of Gerson--but now, knowing that he had been in the grasp of Masters all that time…

While Mettaton’s body hadn’t been beyond the repair of Alphys and Inker, both had sadly relayed the news that it wouldn’t _be_ Mettaton any longer. When Mettaton--who, it turned out had been a ghost type monster previously--has fused with his body fully, it meant that he was bound to it; any fatal damage done meant he was dusted.

You had thought the word inappropriate; after all, his chassis didn’t turn to dust when he died. Now it stood vigil on Alphys’s desk, like a gravestone. You almost wished he had turned to dust; you wondered if that would have made it easier for Alphys to let go.

Inker had offered to go with the Agents for a while, to fully study the disrupters and to help remove collars, but Saoirse and Asgore both insisted the place the old bat was needed was in the Underground.

After Inker and you helped remove their collars completely, many monsters chose to return to help the Agents, who still vowed to work in the shadows in the aid of monsterkind.

“We’ll send any new monsters with collars your way,” Saoirse told you, “In return, please ask they consider helping our group; we need many hands for the work that lay ahead of us.”

You had told her it was Asgore’s final decision, but that you would still mention it to any new monsters that came through the Underground.

Frisk had nearly broken down crying when they saw you for the first time when you returned and now could be found attached to your hip for their every waking moment.

“I thought you were going to disappear, like mom and dad,” They finally shared with you one night, about a week after you returned from your time in Masters’s penthouse.

Sans was glued to your other hip; and often brought you to the lab so he would know where to find you throughout his day. You didn’t mind sticking to the lab, since new monsters were brought there to have their collars fully removed and Inker was sure to put you to work on other things when there was nothing else to do.

You knew his worry was being poured into you because Papyrus still wouldn’t let his brother too close. The monster who was tending to him—Lyris—was the only one allowed within an arm’s length of Papyrus, who would shut down and curl into a small ball anytime anyone tried to engage him for too long, or get too close.

Papyrus nearly broke down anytime Undyne was within sight or ear-shot and the sudden realization hit you that Papyrus, despite being under the control of another, could remember everything. He remembered everything he was forced to do, ever person he hurt, every order he followed.

Sans—who had been near obsessive in his want to help his brother—started to realize just how hurt and broken Papyrus was and started to ease his way back from trying to force his own way in helping Papyrus. Despite not knowing Lyris, and not trusting her, he realized he had to let her do what she could, even if it meant trusting that she wouldn’t shatter what was left of his brother’s soul.

You knew how hard that was, and any time Sans didn’t have a day he was working—which was getting rarer and rarer, you noticed—you tended to drag him out the door on some kind of outing. Either exploring the Underground, spending a day with your friends, anything to keep him from brooding, which he excelled at as easily as napping.

Lyris kept to herself, though you made sure she at least had a companion in you and Frisk during the times when Papyrus would fall into a fitful sleep. She never strayed far from him, but the three of you could converse quietly near Papyrus’s door when you brought up food for her to eat and such.

Everything settled into a half-calm haze, one that was pregnant with the promise of something changing—for good or ill, no one knew. You tried your best to just take it one day at a time, but slowly you started to realize what everyone else in the Underground seemed to already know.

Hell really was a place on the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!


	50. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it, the last chapter!
> 
> It'll be really strange not writing for this every single day, haha, but with a new fic and the sequel to worry about I hope you all will help me get through :3
> 
> SO! The new fic idea I have is a Mobtale fic that will start posting **Wednesday, July 13th, 2016**. I will be posting updates here on AO3 and will continue notifying people by way of tumblr :3 My writing schedule will be an every other day update, so chapter two of the mobtale fic will be posted on Friday, then Sunday, then Tuesday, so on and so forth. Now, my off days will be dedicated to writing the sequel, and as of right now, the publishing date for the first chapter should be **Sunday, July 24th, 2016** , but keep an eye on my author notes and tumblr for changes! That will also be an every other day updating schedule, because I would like to try and upkeep two fanfics at a time, if I'm able.
> 
> Interspersed, of course, will be my tumblr requests and answering asks and comments, but I ask for a little patience! The number I'm starting to get is getting higher and I have to pick and choose which comments I answer :C I DO READ ALL THE COMMENTS, AND I LOVE YOU ALL!
> 
> The 100 follower event is now CLOSED! Thank you all for your questions and I love you all!!

Gaster contemplated the soul floating in his hands; he hadn’t needed to touch it to pull it into the void, thanks to Gingler’s magic, but now the woman was on the ground completely passed out,

He hadn’t realized he pushed her too far; he hadn’t even realized she had been struggling, but now she was simply lying there, her breathing shallow and her soul looking so… _empty_.

There was no courage left in her; there wasn’t _anything_ left in her. Gaster’s eyes slowly moved back to Victor’s soul from Gingler and contemplated it again. Here he was, the human who had caused so much heartache and sorrow for his sons and for all of monsterkind, in his hands like a fragile insect—all Gaster would need to do was reach out and start to pluck it apart piece, by piece, by _piece, by **filthy, disgusting piece, by**_-

Gaster had to take a steadying breath in order to control his mind and emotions; he found that taking his eyes off of the purple soul floating in front of him made it easier.

When he had used Gingler’s magic to reach out and pluck Victor’s soul from the timeline, Gaster had to muster up the self-control not to tear it to shreds and he was reaping the benefits of that with all the options that had now opened up to him.

With Gingler out of commission for an unforeseeable amount of time, there was no way for the two of them to use magic to get out of the void. Gaster was worried for the woman, and found panic settling near the surface of his emotions and he tried to ignore that feeling so he could think clearly, but all of his thoughts kept turning back to the most obvious—and most dangerous—option.

Was there really any other way?

Despite all of his knowledge, Gaster could think of no other way to escape the void and to find help for Gingler…

With a deep breath to steel himself, Gaster closed his eyes, and then closed his hands around the soul, absorbing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and please follow my tumblr: [PurpleUndertaleMom.tumblr.com](http://purpleundertalemom.tumblr.com/) My ask is always open!

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [HIAPOTS - A side tale.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7313167) by [British_Heroine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/British_Heroine/pseuds/British_Heroine)
  * [Stature](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8312125) by [infinitrinx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/infinitrinx/pseuds/infinitrinx)




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